


Dawn Of Us

by thotiny



Series: amor. [2]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:27:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25472389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thotiny/pseuds/thotiny
Summary: “Hongjoong, shut the fuck up. You’re going to get us caught,” Seonghwa hisses.Hongjoong sighs. “I don’t care. Those dumbasses aren’t going to catch us. You know, we can have some fun in here...”“Kim Hongjoong, keep your hands to yourself, or I swear to god, I will literally rip your dick off with my bare hands.”or,A one-shots sequel to “Love Talk” that a few of my readers wanted.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: amor. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845103
Comments: 31
Kudos: 50





	1. Stuck

**Author's Note:**

> so after i ended “love talk” some of you wanted a sequel, and who am i to say no? i didn’t want to make just a one chapter sequel, so this sequel is going to have multiple chapters that are just one-shots. if you have any ideas, feel free to leave them below. idrk when i will end this, so you can request as many ideas as you want :)
> 
> also, this first one-shot comes from @hannahuwu. hopefully, this is what you wanted. (also, in this one-shot they’re all still in sophomore year.)

Yunho’s eyes open, and he is greeted with the familiarity of the darkness of his room. He lets out a groan, but it isn’t long before he feels the urge to pee.  _ So  _ that’s  _ why I woke up _ , he thinks to himself, as he quickly leaves his room to head toward the bathroom. He quickly does his business, and when he’s done, he washes his hands. He opens the door of the bathroom, expecting Seonghwa to be on the other side asking if he is okay, but instead, Yunho doesn’t see Seonghwa. In fact, the older isn’t even in the kitchen making breakfast, or in the dining room eating. Yunho checks the time, sure it is around 7:10 AM or something, and indeed it is 7:19. Yunho sighs, and he walks toward Seonghwa’s room. Unsurprisingly, the door is unlocked, so Yunho opens the door, surprised to find Seonghwa laying on his bed, still sound asleep. Yunho shakes his head, and he walks toward the older, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Hyung,” Yunho calls out, slightly shaking Seonghwa. “Hyung, wake up. You’re late for school.”

A small whine leaves Seonghwa’s lips. “F-five more minutes…” he mutters.

“Hyung, it’s late,” Yunho chuckles. “It’s 7:20. Your first class started 20 minutes ago, remember?”

Seonghwa just nods, muttering some things under his breath. But that’s when he realizes what Yunho’s saying, and he quickly sits up, staring at Yunho with wide eyes. “It’s 7:20?!”

Yunho nods. “It’s 7:21 now.”

“Fuck!” Seonghwa curses, and Yunho laughs. Seonghwa glares at him, and Seonghwa quickly gets into the bathroom. He takes a quick three-minute shower, quickly changes into a hoodie and white jeans, before leaving the room. He quickly starts making himself some coffee, and Yunho decides to help him by putting his stuff in his bag. Unfortunately, since Seonghwa’s moving around a lot, he spills his  _ hot  _ coffee on his white jeans, and he curses again. He waves his hand in front of his jeans, but he doesn’t have time to correctly dry them. He thanks Yunho, grabs his bag and coffee, before leaving the dorm.

“Good luck, hyung!” he hears Yunho call out after him.

Seonghwa just thanks him in his head, running toward his first class. He wonders why Hongjoong didn’t try waking him up. They still have the same first class, and Seonghwa is sure Hongjoong has woken up before him. Seonghwa just curses Hongjoong in his head, running inside the English building.

“Excuse me,” he hears someone say. “Do you have a late pass?”

_ Fuck.  _ Seonghwa turns around, giving the secretary a small smile. “Y-yes I do.”

“Can I see it?” she asks.

Seonghwa curses to himself, wondering why he had lied. Before he can come up with  _ another  _ lie, he feels someone wrapping their arm around his shoulder. He looks at his side, seeing Hongjoong standing there.

“We both don’t have our late pass,” he admits, and Seonghwa gawks at him. 

“Well, sorry, but you guys can’t enter class then,” the secretary says.

“You don’t understand,” Hongjoong chuckles. “We really need to go to class, because we have a test.”

“Well, too bad,” the secretary says. “You guys are free to leave the building.”

Hongjoong and Seonghwa then turn to look at each other, making a silent agreement. They both nod at each other, before making a run for it. They hear the secretary call out after them, but they continue to run. Their class was moved to the fifth floor, because of construction, so they have to take the elevator. Unfortunately, though, they hear footsteps running behind them, and they speed up their pace.

“Oh, morning, by the way,” Hongjoong greets. He opts to press a kiss on Seonghwa’s cheek but decides against it since they’re too busy running.

“How can you be so casual?” he grumbles. “We’re literally being chased down by the security guard,  _ and  _ we’re late for class. How are  _ you  _ late anyway? I thought you were already in class.”

“I was, but I had gone to the bathroom,” Hongjoong explains. “I heard your voice, and I knew you were in trouble, so I decided to help you out.”

“Thanks for your help then,” Seonghwa says sarcastically.

Hongjoong rolls his eyes, but that’s when he notices a utility closet nearby. He looks behind him and notices that they have lost the guard. Well, only for a little bit, but they can take the opportunity to hide.

“Hey, we can hide in there,” he says, pointing toward the closet.

“That’s too small,” Seonghwa points out.

“We can fit,” Hongjoong assures, and he doesn’t let Seonghwa say anything else, before he grabs the older’s wrist, and pulls him toward the closet. It’s a tight squeeze, but they manage, and Hongjoong quickly closes the door, as he sees the guard rounding the corner.

“That was close,” Seonghwa mutters, sighing in relief. Currently, he and Hongjoong are stuck in the utility closet until the guard goes away. It is uncomfortably tight in here, their bodies pressing up against each others’. Seonghwa is sure if he was turned around, their position would look wrong.

“So how has your morning been?” Hongjoong asks, and even though Seonghwa can’t see a centimeter in front of him—curse the room for being so dark—he can tell Hongjoong’s smiling.

“Don’t,” Seonghwa warns. “I just want to get out of here.”

“Someone’s in a cranky mood,” Hongjoong muses.

“Shut up, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa whines.

“Hey, I did nothing to you,” Hongjoong frowns. “Don’t get your panties up in a bunch. Why are you so cranky today?”

Seonghwa sighs. “Well, last night, I spent it studying, and I didn’t even get up to go to the bathroom. Then, I fell asleep around three in the morning, and Yunho woke me up since I was 20 minutes late already. Not to mention I spilled coffee on my  _ white  _ jeans. Can my morning get any worse?”

“Oh, you poor baby,” Hongjoong coos. 

“Shut up, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa repeats. “We’re both extremely late for class now.”

Hongjoong shrugs. “I don’t mind. As long as I’m here with you, I’m fine.”

Seonghwa feels his cheeks heat up, and he’s glad the room is dark. “I-is the guard gone?”

Hongjoong peeks outside the door, slightly opening it, but quickly closes it when he sees the guard outside. “No.”

“Great,” Seonghwa grumbles, leaning back against the wall. “Now we failed our test, too.”

“Look at the bright side, Hwa,” Hongjoong says, and he grabs Seonghwa’s hips. “We’re both in here together.” Hongjoong pulls Seonghwa closer, brushing their lips against each other’s. “Maybe we can use a distraction…”

“Kim Hongjoong, get your mind out of the gutter,” Seonghwa snaps, pulling away. “You’re so dirty-minded.”

“You love me,” Hongjoong says sheepishly.

“Who said?” Seonghwa says, crossing his arms.

“You’re so rude,” Hongjoong whines,  _ loudly _ .

“Hongjoong, shut the fuck up. You’re going to get us caught,” Seonghwa hisses, as he looks outside the door, now noticing  _ three  _ guards.

Hongjoong sighs, noticing the three guards, too. “I don’t care. Those dumbasses aren’t going to catch us. You know, we  _ can  _ have some fun in here…” Hongjoong smirks, and he grabs Seonghwa’s hips, pulling him closer again.

Seonghwa immediately pulls away, though, glaring at Hongjoong, even though he can’t see it. “Kim Hongjoong, keep your hands to yourself, or I swear to god, I will literally rip your dick off with my bare hands.”

“Someone’s kinky,” Hongjoong chuckles. Seonghwa just sighs. “I’ll stop if you give me a kiss.”

“You promise?” he asks.

“Cross my heart.”

Seonghwa just sighs, but he finally gives in. It takes a few seconds, but Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s lips finally find each other. Seonghwa originally plans for just a peck, but Hongjoong wraps his arms around his waist and pushes him up against the wall. Seonghwa’s surprised, but this time…he doesn’t complain. He wraps his arms around Hongjoong’s neck, pulling him even closer if that is even possible.

Hongjoong soon pulls away, and he starts trailing his lips against Seonghwa’s jawline, pressing light kisses on the skin. Seonghwa gives Hongjoong more access, turning his head, and soon, the younger starts kissing down his neck. Seonghwa grips the fabric of Hongjoong’s leather jacket, as the younger sucks a hickey onto his sweet spot.

“H-Hongjoong…” he gasps, biting his lower lip to keep quiet.

“Yes?” Hongjoong hums, but he doesn’t look up. His hands find the hem of Seonghwa’s hoodie, about to pull it off, but Seonghwa grabs his wrists.

“N-not here,” Seonghwa says. “S-someone might come in at any second.”

“Let them.” Hongjoong shrugs, not really having a problem with it.

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa says in a warning tone.

Hongjoong rolls his eyes. “Fine.” He pulls away from Seonghwa, and he opens the door to check if the guards are gone. Thankfully, they are, and Hongjoong turns back to Seonghwa. “They’re gone.”

Seonghwa sighs in relief. “What time is it?”

“It’s…7:52,” Hongjoong replies. “There’s only around an hour left of class.”

“Then let’s go,” Seonghwa says, and Hongjoong nods.

They both carefully get out of the tight utility closet and start walking toward the elevator. Thankfully, they make it to their class without getting caught, and apologize for being late, before starting their test.


	2. Good News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in this one-shot, they’re all in sophomore year.

Thankfully, Seonghwa wakes up this morning without having nightmares in the night. He’s not sure if he’ll have any today, but he’s mostly sure he’s not going to because, for the last few days, he hasn’t had any nightmares. Of course, that doesn’t mean his nightmares and PTSD are completely gone, but he can always hope, right?

“Morning,” he greets, as he arrives downstairs, seeing his parents in the dining room, eating and talking. Thankfully, Seonghwa’s ankle had healed three days ago, but he’s still taking precautions. Now, he can sleep upstairs in his room, but the doctor advises that he doesn’t walk a lot or run at all, so his ankle can heal properly.

“Morning, Seonghwa,” his mom greets, smiling at him. “How did you sleep?”

“Fine,” he replies. “How did you guys sleep?”

“We slept fine, thanks.” Seonghwa’s dad smiles. “Is your ankle feeling all better? Did you…have any nightmares?”

“My ankle’s fine,” Seonghwa assures, and he sits down next to his mom, placing his plate in front of him. “And no, I didn’t have any nightmares.”

“You haven’t had any for the last few days,” she notices. “Th-the doctor said that was a good sign.”

“He did,” Seonghwa’s dad confirms. “Do you think your PTSD went away, Seonghwa?”

“Not completely,” he answers. “I mean, some things that remind me of… _ him _ still scare me, but I think the nightmares are gone.”

His mom sighs in relief, and happy tears spring into her eyes. “Oh, I’m so happy. I’m going to call your therapist, and see if I can make an appointment.”

“Shouldn’t you call the doctor instead?” Seonghwa says pointedly.

His mom thinks about it for a bit, before she says, “I’ll just call both then.”

\--

“Here, let me be a good boyfriend, and help you out with your stuff,” the raven-haired male says, as he runs to Seonghwa’s side, grabbing his books.

“Geez, you scared me,” he mutters. “You don’t have to carry my books all the time, you know. It’s not like my arms are going to fall off.”

“They might,” Hongjoong points out. “Oh, and also…” Hongjoong stops talking, making Seonghwa confused. He looks at Hongjoong but is slightly surprised when the younger pecks his lips. “Morning.”

Seonghwa softly smiles. “M-morning.”

“How’s your day been so far?” Hongjoong asks as they continue walking toward their first class.

“It’s been fine,” Seonghwa responds. “Yours?”

“Fine, but it got better when I saw you,” Hongjoong says, and Seonghwa rolls his eyes at his cheesiness. 

“I think I have some good news, though,” Seonghwa says, and Hongjoong looks at him, intrigued.

“What?”

“I think my nightmares have stopped,” Seonghwa says. “I haven’t had any for the last few days. I didn’t get one last night, and I don’t think I’m going to get one today.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widen, and he lets out a squeal. “Congrats, Hwa! That means you’re getting better. Is your PTSD gone then?”

“I don’t think so, but to be honest I don’t know,” Seonghwa says. “My mom scheduled an appointment with my therapist and doctor for tomorrow, so I think I’m going to find out then.”

“I’ll come with you then,” Hongjoong decides. Seonghwa opens his mouth to complain, but Hongjoong stops him. “You know you can’t change my mind. Besides, the others are gonna want to go, too, so you can’t stop us from all going.”

Seonghwa sighs, knowing Hongjoong is sadly right. “Fine. I just… What if my PTSD isn’t completely gone, and my nightmares only stopped for a while? W-what if-”

“Seonghwa, baby, calm down,” Hongjoong says softly. “I’m sure everything will be fine. Don’t overthink it. Just stay calm, okay? If it isn’t gone, then it’s going to be fine. We’ll get through this together, just like we’ve always had. Everything’s going to be fine, Hwa.”

Seonghwa nods, biting his lower lip. He wants to believe Hongjoong, but deep in his gut, he knows he can’t. “I-if you say so.”

\--

Turns out, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho do want to with Hongjoong and Seonghwa to Seonghwa’s doctor and therapist appointment. Seonghwa has just sighed, knowing he can’t do anything about it. Currently, it is the next day, and Seonghwa is getting ready for his appointment, barely getting out of the shower. Thankfully, today is Friday, so he doesn’t have any classes today, tomorrow, nor Sunday. 

“Seonghwa, we leave in 20 minutes!” his father calls out, knocking on his door.

“I’ll be ready by then, dad!” he assures.

“Okay! We’ll be waiting downstairs or in the car.”

“Alright,” Seonghwa mutters, and he hears his dad’s footsteps walk away. Seonghwa walks toward his closet, only wearing his white robe, and a towel on his head. He starts choosing what to wear when he hears a knock on the door. He sighs, walking toward it, opening it. He expects his father to be there, but instead, he’s surprised to see Hongjoong and Yeosang. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We came to check on you,” Hongjoong replies, as he and Yeosang walk inside Seonghwa’s room. 

“You look nice,” Yeosang says, as he catches what Seonghwa’s wearing.

“Shut up,” he grumbles. “I was barely going to change.”

Hongjoong hums, and he sits down on Seonghwa’s bed. A small smirk grows on his face, as he rakes his eyes down Seonghwa’s body. “Then change.”

“I wasn’t expecting to change in front of you two,” he mutters, and he turns back to his closet.

Yeosang shrugs. “We’ve all seen each other naked. Besides, we all have the same body parts.”

“Yeosang’s right,” Hongjoong agrees.

Seonghwa just sighs, shaking his head. Finally, he takes out an outfit and sets it down on the chair he has for his desk. He takes off the towel on his head first, revealing his newly dyed brown hair.

“Ooh, when did you dye your hair?” Yeosang asks.

“Earlier, before I went into the shower,” Seonghwa explains, and he starts untying his robe. He ignores the look he’s getting from Hongjoong and slides some boxers up his legs. Seonghwa then changes into a white wool sweater tucked into grey jeans, a black belt tied around his waist, and a grey velvet jacket on top.

“Aren’t you hot?” Hongjoong frowns.

“No…?” Seonghwa says, giving Hongjoong a weird look. “It’s 50 degrees outside, Hongjoong.”

“I know, but I’ve been wearing this jacket all day, and I’m getting hot,” he complains.

“Then take it off, dumbass,” Yeosang says. “Oops, I meant hyung.”

Hongjoong rolls his eyes, and he kicks Yeosang’s shin, but not too hard, so it wouldn’t hurt. “I want to, but if I do, then I’ll get cold again.”

“Then just zip it open,” Seonghwa suggests.

“That’s a great idea,” Hongjoong mutters, and he zips his jacket open. “That’s much better.”

Seonghwa and Yeosang shake their head at Hongjoong, and they all leave the oldest’s room. They walk downstairs and head outside where the others are waiting for them. 

“Is it going to be the same therapist and doctor?” Yeosang questions.

“Yeah,” Seonghwa says. “Just follow behind us, and you guys will be fine.”

Hongjoong and Yeosang nod before they each go in their cars with the others. Seonghwa gets inside his parents’ car, closing the door behind him.

“Finally you’re here,” his mother grumbles. “We only have 14 minutes to get there.”

“I only took six minutes, mom,” Seonghwa chuckles.

“You still took forever.”

Seonghwa just sighs, shaking his head. As said, 14 minutes later, they all arrive at the therapist building, since that is their first appointment. They all get out of the cars, and Seonghwa’s parents lead the way. Seonghwa waits back a bit, feeling his heartbeat’s pace increase.

“You okay, Hwa?” Hongjoong softly inquires, intertwining their fingers.

“I’m getting there,” Seonghwa assures.

“You’ll be fine, hyung,” Yunho reminds. “We’re here, as well as your parents. You’re not alone.”

Seonghwa nods, trying to take deep breaths in and out. Soon, he’s ready to leave, so the others start leading him the way. They soon arrive at the third floor and walk toward the room where the therapist is. They walk inside, and Seonghwa’s mom explains that they have an appointment, whilst the others go sit down.

“You’ll do fine, honey,” Seonghwa’s father says, as he notices his son’s worried look on his face. “Just try not to panic. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Seonghwa just nods again, biting his lower lip. His grip on Hongjoong’s hand tightens, and he leans his head on Hongjoong’s shoulder. The younger just kisses his forehead lightly, brushing his brown bangs back. Around nine minutes later, Seonghwa’s therapist soon arrives, and she smiles, as she notices Seonghwa.

“Hi again, Seonghwa,” she greets, extending her hand. “How have you been?”

“O-okay, I guess,” Seonghwa mutters, shaking his therapist’s hand. 

“You ready to go?” she asks.

Seonghwa looks at his friends, boyfriend, and parents, and they just nod back at him in reassurance. Seonghwa looks back toward his therapist and nods hesitantly. “Y-yeah.”

“Alright,” she says. “Would you like anyone to come with you?”

“A-all of them,” Seonghwa mumbles, and the therapist chuckles.

“I’m sure there’s enough room,” she says, much to Seonghwa’s relief. “Come on, let’s go.”

The ten then follow behind Seonghwa’s therapist, the female leading the way. They finally arrive at her office, and Seonghwa sits down on a chair, Hongjoong sitting next to him.

“So these are all your friends?” the therapist questions, trying to distract Seonghwa for a bit. She looks at Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s linked hands, smiling. “And I assume this fine gentleman is your boyfriend?”

Seonghwa lets out a small smile. “Y-yeah. Um…his name is Hongjoong, and the rest are Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho.” Seonghwa points to each of them, as he introduces them.

“Nice to meet you all,” the therapist says. “Thank you all for accompanying Seonghwa. I’m sure he appreciates it. Now, let’s go to why you’re here, shall we? Your mom said you haven’t gotten your nightmares for the last few days. Wanna share why you think why?”

“W-well, I’ve had all the people I love by my side,” Seonghwa says. “And they’ve been helping me.”

“That’s nice,” the therapist says. “When did you have your last nightmare?”

“I think…eight days ago,” Seonghwa replies, a bit unsure. “I haven’t had them in the day, either. That’s a good sign, right?”

“Of course,” the therapist assures. “Though the bad news is I don’t think your PTSD is completely gone.”

“I don’t think that, either,” Seonghwa agrees. “Some things still remind me of… _ him _ and I have to remind myself that I’m in a safe place, so I don’t get an attack.”

“That’s good, very good,” the therapist praises. “I’m proud of you, Seonghwa.”

The brunette smiles. “Th-thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” The therapist smiles back, and she turns toward her computer, typing a few things on it. “Well, Seonghwa, I have some good news for you. From the looks of it, I don’t think you’re going to have to come back. Your nightmares seem as if they’re going to stop, so you don’t need to keep coming. I’m going to share what you told me with your doctor, and he’s going to confirm everything, okay?”

Seonghwa sighs in relief. “Thanks.”

The therapist nods, and she puts her whole attention on her computer. Seonghwa smiles, and he feels tear well up in his eyes. A few roll down, but he feels a warm and soft thumb wipe them away, Hongjoong squeezing his hand.

“Congrats, Hwa,” Hongjoong whispers. “You did it.”

Seonghwa nods, and he pecks Hongjoong’s lips. “Th-thanks, Joong. For everything.”

\--

Now, the ten are at the doctor’s. Unfortunately, not all of them can go, so only Seonghwa and his parents go to the room where they start to wait for the doctor to appear. 

“D-do you guys think everything will be okay?” Seonghwa hesitantly asks.

“I’m sure everything will be okay,” his mom says. “We just have to wait for the doctor to be sure.”

Seonghwa just nods, and around five minutes later, they hear the door knock, before it’s opened, the doctor appearing. He smiles, walking inside the room, and closing the door behind him. “Good morning, everyone. I hope you all had a nice morning.”

“We did, thanks,” Seonghwa’s dad says. “How is your morning so far, doc?”

“It is going great, thanks,” he replies. Dr. Kim puts some hand sanitizer on his hands, spreading it before he goes to shake Seonghwa’s parents’ hands. They shake hands, before Dr. Kim and Seonghwa do, too. Dr. Kim then goes to sit down on the chair, grabbing his laptop. “So I hear from your therapist that you haven’t gotten to any nightmares. Is that correct, Seonghwa?”

The brunette nods. “Y-yes.”

“That’s a good sign,” Dr. Kim mutters. “Well, from what your therapist is telling me, I think we can all agree that your nightmares have gone away. I think we just need to make a few scans and tests to make sure. Are you okay with that, Seonghwa?”

“Yes,” he immediately answers.

Dr. Kim smiles, and he stands up. “Great. If you can follow me please.”

\--

Around 30 minutes later, Seonghwa and his parents are back in the room they were at earlier. Dr. Kim had scanned Seonghwa’s brain, and asked him a few questions, before letting him go. Dr. Kim had assured them they’d get the results soon, but that was four minutes ago. They don’t know how much longer they have to wait. 

“I just want the tests to get the results already,” Seonghwa groans, running his fingers through his hair.

“They’ll be here soon, honey,” his mom assures. “We just have to be patient.”

Around 20 minutes later, they hear a knock at the door again, before it’s opened. Thankfully, Dr. Kim appears, and he has a folder in his hands. He smiles at them and places the folder down on the examination table.

“Great news, Seonghwa,” he says. “You passed most of the tests.”

Seonghwa’s jaw falls lightly open. “A-are you saying my nightmares are completely gone?”

“For now, yes,” Dr. Kim replies.

“What do you mean ‘for now’?” Seonghwa’s dad asks.

“Seonghwa failed some of the tests,” Dr. Kim explains. “I’m sorry to say, but it seems as if Seonghwa’s PTSD will likely stay with him forever. The pills won’t help it go away, but it will help with coping. Seonghwa won’t have nightmares for a time, but they’ll gradually return. But for now, you guys don’t need to worry.”

“D-do you know when his nightmares will return?” Seonghwa’s mom hesitantly questions.

“Probably in a year,” Dr. Kim answers, “or shorter. For now, please don’t worry. Seonghwa’s fine, and he will be for a long time. Congratulations, Seonghwa.”

The brunette smiles. “Am I free to go now?”

Dr. Kim nods. “See you later, everyone.”

Seonghwa squeals and he hugs Dr. Kim before he runs out of the room. He runs back toward the waiting room, where the other seven are waiting for them. Though they notice him right away, and quickly stand up.

“What happened?” San inquires frantically, a bit worried.

Seonghwa squeals. “I passed!”

The others seem to get it, and they gasp, their eyes widening. Mingi is the first to snap out of it, and he quickly wraps Seonghwa into a hug. The others soon join in, and they pull away almost four hours later.

“Congrats, hyung!” Mingi squeals. “You did it!”

_ “We  _ did it,” Seonghwa corrects. “I wouldn’t have done it without your guys’ help.”

“We should go out to celebrate!” Wooyoung suggests. 

“We should,” Jongho agrees. 

“I still have other stuff to do, guys,” Seonghwa reminds, giggling. “But after that, we can celebrate all we want.”

Hongjoong smiles, and he engulfs Seonghwa into a kiss. They don’t pull away until they need oxygen. “Congrats, Hwa. I’m proud of you.”

Seonghwa smiles, happy tears starting to roll down his face. “Th-thanks, Joong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the one-shots will not be in chronological order, so they might be random.


	3. Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they’re all in sophomore year, before going into junior year.

“Does everyone want popcorn?” Hongjoong calls out, as he’s in the kitchen making the said snack.

“I want candy!” Yunho replies, Mingi and Wooyoung agreeing with him.

“Um…are you guys sure?” Seonghwa hesitantly asks. “You guys get  _ really  _ hyper when you guys eat candy.”

“We’ll be fine, hyung,” Mingi assures, but they all know they’ll get hyper one way or another.

“Alright,” Seonghwa mutters. “Joong, you and Mark still have candy in the pantry, right?”

“Hopefully,” Hongjoong mumbles.

Seonghwa chuckles, and he opens the pantry. Thankfully, he sees around two bags of candy, and he takes them out. He grabs a bowl and mixes the candies up. The first bag of popcorn finishes, so Hongjoong puts another one in. Seonghwa’s soon done with the candy, but he lets it stay there, so the others don’t start eating it. He turns toward Hongjoong, but, before any of them can say anything, they hear Hongjoong’s phone ringing.

“It’s my mom,” he tells Seonghwa, before answering the phone. “Hello?”

“H-Hongjoong, you…you need to come h-home.” Hongjoong’s mom’s voice sounds sad, and her voice breaks at the end of her sentence. 

Hongjoong grows worried, and a frown grows on his face. “M-mom? Are you okay? Are you crying?”

His mom lets out a sob. “Y-your father just d-died.”

It takes Hongjoong a few moments for his mother’s words to sink in, before he staggers in his movements, almost dropping his phone. His father  _ is  _ dead. Sure, he was a bastard most of the time, but when Hongjoong was younger, he was closer to his father than his mom. His father just changed the more Hongjoong grew up.

“Joong…” Seonghwa says slowly, noticing Hongjoong’s expressions, “…are you okay?”

Hongjoong doesn’t answer Seonghwa. Instead, he tells his mom, “W-when did he…die?”

“E-exactly at 8:12 P-PM,” his mom replies, letting out another sob. “P-please come home, H-Hongjoong. I-I need you.”

“I-I’ll be there,” he promises, before hanging up. He places his phone down, and lets out a shaky breath, running his fingers through his raven hair. A few tears well up in his eyes, and he lets them fall. Seonghwa is quick to notice, and he doesn’t say anything, engulfing Hongjoong into a hug.

“Let it all out, Joong,” Seonghwa whispers, stroking Hongjoong’s back. “It’s fine. I’m here for you.”

Hongjoong weakly nods, and he clenches the fabric of Seonghwa’s shirt. He stares into space for a few moments, before he finally breaks down. Hearing the commotion, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho get up to see what’s happening. But they’re surprised to find Hongjoong crying.

“Hyung?” Yeosang softly calls out. “Why are you crying?”

“Did you do something to him, Seonghwa-hyung?” San narrows his eyes at the oldest.

“I-I didn’t,” he assures. “Hongjoong’s father just died.”

The others seem to get it, their mouths turning into ‘O’s. They don’t waste a second, before going to engulf Hongjoong into a hug, too. The eight just stand there, hugging and comforting Hongjoong until he feels fine enough. That doesn’t happen until six minutes later, and he pulls away, sniffling and wiping his tears away.

“Th-thanks, you guys,” he says. “I-I’m fine now.”

“We all know you’re not,” Wooyoung says pointedly. “W-were you talking with your mom?”

Hongjoong nods, sniffling. “S-speaking of which, I need to start packing up. M-my mom wants me to come home.”

“Do you want us to come with you?” Jongho offers.

Hongjoong shakes his head. “I-I can deal with this on my own.”

“Do you need help packing up then?” Seonghwa asks softly.

Hongjoong hesitates before he nods. It’s obvious he only wants Seonghwa to come with him when he grabs the older’s wrist and starts pulling him toward his room.

“I hope Hongjoong-hyung doesn’t stay sad for long,” Yunho mutters. “I don’t like seeing him so sad.”

“None of us do,” Yeosang sighs.

Once Hongjoong and Seonghwa arrive in Hongjoong’s room, the ravenette closes the door, and sits down on his bed, expecting Seonghwa to join him. The brown-haired male does, and he sits down on Hongjoong’s lap, wrapping his arms around his neck. He whispers comforting things into his ear, letting him softly cry against his neck, and wetting his shirt with tears. Seonghwa doesn’t mind, though, and just lets Hongjoong cry, kissing his forehead softly, and running his fingers through Hongjoong’s raven hair softly. Hongjoong doesn’t stop crying until two minutes later, and he sniffles again, wiping away his tears.

“Th-thanks, Hwa,” he whispers.

“Anytime, Joong,” Seonghwa assures. “Now come on. Let’s start packing, so you can go to your mom, okay?”

Hongjoong just nods, and Seonghwa gets off his lap. They start packing up in silence, Hongjoong folding his clothes, whilst Seonghwa puts them neatly in the younger’s suitcase. They’re soon done around seven minutes later, and Seonghwa zips Hongjoong’s suitcase up. Hongjoong quietly thanks him, pulling the holder up. Seonghwa kisses his forehead again, and they start walking outside, where the other six are waiting for him.

“Are you going to leave right now, hyung?” San softly asks.

“Y-yeah,” Hongjoong replies. “If I need anything, I’ll call you guys.”

The other just nod, and one by one, they hug Hongjoong, before he leaves. When it’s Seonghwa’s turn, he hugs Hongjoong extra tight, and pecks his lips, stroking his cheek with his thumb comfortingly. Hongjoong just smiles at him, grabbing his hand. Seonghwa pulls his hand away soon, and they all wave at Hongjoong before he leaves.

“Do you think Hongjoong-hyung is going to be okay, hyung?” Mingi questions Seonghwa, as they walk inside the kitchen.

“Probably,” he mutters. “I honestly don’t know how much this affects him, but let’s just hope he’ll be okay.”

\--

Thankfully, when Hongjoong’s mom called him to come home, it was Friday, and that was the start of their Thanksgiving break. Hongjoong was gone for seven days, but fortunately, they had two weeks of Thanksgiving break. Today is the seventh day, and currently, Hongjoong is with his mom eating dinner, the two eating quietly. Hongjoong’s dad’s funeral was yesterday, and it hurt Hongjoong to see his father being buried six feet underground, but he’s probably in a better place now.

“Hey, maybe we can have dinner with Seonghwa soon,” Hongjoong’s mom speaks up, surprising Hongjoong.

“Mom, dad’s funeral was just yesterday,” he reminds.

“I-I know,” his mom says, letting out a small smile. “I’m just trying to think positively right now, Hongjoong. And I’m not saying we need to have the dinner right now. How long have you guys been dating again?”

“A month,” Hongjoong replies.

“Then we can have it when you guys have been dating for a year,” his mom suggests. “How does that sound?”

“What if we’re not dating by then?” Hongjoong points out.

“Well, then we don’t have it,” his mom says. “But if you guys still are, then maybe we can have the dinner, yeah? Maybe a week before your birthday, so Seonghwa and I can plan what to do behind your back.”

Hongjoong rolls his eyes, but a small smile grows on his face. “Alright. I’ll talk to Seonghwa about it.”

\--

Hongjoong returns back to the dorms the next day. The others didn’t tell him where they were going to meet up, so he just goes back to his dorm. He plans on unpacking first, before telling his friends he is back. He walks toward his dorm, and takes out his keys, knowing Mark likes to have the door locked at all times. Hongjoong unlocks the door, and steps inside, pulling his suitcase behind him. He closes the door behind him and places his suitcase next to the door. He starts taking his coat off, looking up, but is surprised to see Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, Jongho, Mark, and Jackson standing there, a ‘WELCOME BACK!’ banner above them.

“Welcome back!” they say in unison.

Hongjoong lets out a laugh, and a huge smile grows on his face. “Th-thanks, you guys.”

“Hyung!” Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho squeal in unison, and they all go to engulf Hongjoong into a hug. They almost throw him to the ground, but thankfully, he doesn’t get thrown. He accepts them in his arms and hugs them back.

“We missed you, hyung,” Wooyoung says, letting out a small sniffle. “Are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”

“I’m feeling fine, and no, I don’t, thanks,” Hongjoong chuckles. “Did you guys do all of this?”

“Well, I suggested that we surprise you with something small,” Mark says. “But then, they said to throw a big party, but we all know you wouldn’t want that, so we just made you this.”

“Welcome back, Hongjoong,” Jackson adds.

“It’s not like I went to another country, guys,” Hongjoong says, “but thanks anyway.”

One by one, they all hug him, welcoming him back, and Jongho offers to take Hongjoong’s suitcase to his room. Hongjoong starts to deny, but Jongho’s stronger than him, so he takes his suitcase, and takes it to his room. Hongjoong just shakes his head at the youngest and focuses on greeting the rest. When it’s Seonghwa’s turn, the male hugs him extra tight, and Hongjoong hugs him back just as tight.

“I missed you,” he whispers. Seonghwa pulls away and engulfs Hongjoong into a kiss, and Hongjoong hums against the older’s lips, kissing him back. They pull away before their kiss could escalate, and smile at each other.

“I missed you, too, Hwa,” Hongjoong whispers back.

“You guys are cute, and all, but can we get this party started?” Yunho breaks their moment.

“Um, sure,” Hongjoong agrees. He turns to Seonghwa, and whispers, “We need to talk later.”

“About what?” Seonghwa starts to grow worried. Does Hongjoong want to break up with him? Does Hongjoong want to move away? Does Hongjoong want to kill him? Is Hongjoong okay? Does Hongjoong want the world to end? What is wrong?

“Hwa, everything’s fine,” he chuckles, seeing Seonghwa starting to worry. “Don’t worry your pretty little head. We just need to talk about something that can wait until later, okay? For now, let’s just enjoy the ‘party.’”

Seonghwa’s a bit doubtful, but he nods. “Okay.”

\--

Hours later, it’s around 1:48 AM, and most of them are wasted. Well, the others are except Hongjoong and Seonghwa. Hongjoong didn’t feel like drinking much, since he is still sad about his father’s death, and he still has to talk to Seonghwa. Seonghwa didn’t feel like drinking much since he doesn’t usually drink much, and also because of what Hongjoong told him earlier.

“Do you want to tell me now what you wanna talk about?” he asks, as he and Hongjoong sit on the window seat.

“Ah, right.” Hongjoong takes a sip of his drink, before putting it down next to him. “Well…yesterday, my mom and I were eating dinner, and she brought up something I haven’t really thought about it. She suggested that I invite you over, so we can have dinner. Just the three of us.”

Seonghwa nods, feeling a bit more relaxed. “Oh, okay. When is the dinner going to be then?”

“Next year,” Hongjoong replies, making Seonghwa almost start choking on his drink.

“W-why next year?” he questions, letting out a cough.

“That’s when our first anniversary is going to be,” Hongjoong reminds, and Seonghwa’s face heats up at that. 

“W-what if we’re not together by then, though?” he hesitantly says pointedly.

“Then we’re not.” Hongjoong shrugs. “Though I think we still are going to be because the others aren’t going to let us break up. I told my mom that, and she said we could have the dinner a week before my birthday, so you two can plan my birthday behind my back.”

Seonghwa giggles. “Alright. Do _you_ want us to have the dinner?”

Hongjoong smiles. “Why not? This way, I can finally introduce you as my boyfriend to my mom.”

Seonghwa softly smiles, and he leans over to peck Hongjoong on the lips. Hongjoong kisses back, and he grabs Seonghwa’s waist to pull him closer. Seonghwa ends up straddling Hongjoong, and they continue kissing, enjoying the moon’s light shining on their faces. They soon pull away, a bit breathless, leaning their forehead against each other.

“I can’t wait until you introduce me as your boyfriend to your mom,” Seonghwa whispers.

Hongjoong smiles, and he pecks Seonghwa’s nose. “I can’t, either, Hwa.”

\--

As the months pass by, Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s relationship gets closer to being a year long. Hongjoong and Seonghwa talk about it, and they agree to have the dinner with Hongjoong’s mom. They know they wouldn’t break up any time soon, especially since the other six wouldn’t let them. When it’s finally their first anniversary, they treat each other with gifts and love all day long. In the night, they have lovemaking all night, and the next morning, Hongjoong makes Seonghwa breakfast in bed as a thank you for the night before. Then, a week passes by, before it’s finally the week before Hongjoong’s birthday. They agreed to have the dinner on Friday, and it’s currently the day before, which is Thursday. Right now, Seonghwa’s at Yeosang’s and Jongho’s dorm. Jongho’s at work, so Yeosang’s home, and Seonghwa’s there, as well as San.

“We need to go shopping,” Yeosang muses.

“Why?” Seonghwa asks.

San rolls his eyes. “For tomorrow. Duh.”

“I have enough clothes, though,” Seonghwa reminds. “We literally go shopping for every event we need to go to. I don’t have any more space in my closet.”

“Well, let’s go to your dorm then,” Yeosang says.

“We can’t, remember?” Seonghwa says. “Yunho and Mingi are there.”

“So?” San doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. 

“They’re…you know…” Seonghwa can’t bring himself to say it.

“They’re having sex?” San guesses. Seonghwa shyly nods.

“Let me text Mingi then,” Yeosang chuckles, taking out his phone.

“Yeosang-”

“Mingi’s going to answer, hyung,” he assures. Yeosang types a few things into his phone, seeming to indeed get a reply from Mingi. Two minutes later, he places his phone down, a bright smile on his face. “Mingi told me he and Yunho can stop fucking when we’re there, but they’re going to continue once we’re gone.”

“Mingi doesn’t want to go?” Seonghwa questions.

“Nope,” Yeosang replies, popping the p. “Let’s go then.”

Seonghwa sighs, but he gets up, following behind Yeosang and San. They leave Yeosang’s dorm, the now blonde-haired male closing and locking the door behind them.

“If Yeosang and I don’t like any of the clothes you have, we’re going shopping,” San says, Yeosang nodding in agreement.

Seonghwa sighs. It’s not like he has a choice anyway. “Fine.”

When they arrive at Seonghwa’s and Yunho’s dorm—they decided to not switch dorms when their sophomore year ended—Yunho and Mingi are sitting in the living room, wearing robes, whilst they eat snacks. They look up once they hear the door close, smiling at the other three.

“Hey, guys,” Yunho greets.

“Hi,” Yeosang greets back. “Are you guys exhausted yet?”

“No,” Mingi answers. “I can last eight rounds, you know.”

“Just eight?” Yunho raises an eyebrow at him.

“For you, I can last longer.”

“Talk like that when we’re gone, please!” Seonghwa says before they can continue.

“What are you guys doing here anyway?” Yunho inquires.

“We’re going to look through Seonghwa-hyung’s clothes,” San explains.

Yunho and Mingi nod, not wanting to ask any more questions. Seonghwa, Yeosang, and San finally arrive at Seonghwa’s room, and Yeosang and San start looking through Seonghwa’s clothes. They take everything out, Seonghwa telling them they have to put everything back the way it was, and Yeosang and San nod, but Seonghwa knows they didn’t listen. It seems like hours, but it’s actually ten minutes later that Yeosang and San find something they like.

“How about this?” Yeosang asks, holding up an outfit. 

Seonghwa looks over it, thinking it looks nice. “It looks nice.”

“Good,” San says. “This is what you’re going to wear tomorrow.”

Seonghwa rolls his eyes. “Yes, mom.”

San just sheepishly smiles at Seonghwa, and he and Yeosang try to put Seonghwa’s clothes back they way they were. Once they’re done, they leave Seonghwa’s and Yunho’s dorm, reminding Yunho and Mingi to not be so loud, before they head back toward Yeosang’s and Jongho’s dorm.

\--

Unfortunately (or not, it can go both ways), Yeosang, San, and Mingi are busy when Seonghwa needs to start getting ready. Yeosang has work, San needs to study, and Mingi has class, so Seonghwa has to get ready by himself. But he doesn’t really mind. At least this time, he won’t get pushed around like the last few times he’s gotten ready with the other three.

Hongjoong, his mom, and Seonghwa have agreed to have the dinner around 6:00 PM, and Hongjoong is going to pick Seonghwa up. Currently, it’s 4:47, so Seonghwa needs to hurry up. 

Stepping out of the shower, Seonghwa grabs the outfit Yeosang and San had decided yesterday and changes into it. It’s a dark grey long-sleeved button-up shirt tucked into black loose long pants. The shirt is puffed out, and the sleeves are long, making Seonghwa have sweater paws. The shirt is a bit tight around his neck, so he unbuttons the first two buttons, showing his collarbones. He puts his brown bangs to the side, puts a light coat of brown eyeshadow on his eyelids, and a light coat of a red tint on his lips. He figures he looks good enough, so he grabs his perfume, and squirts a bit of it on his wrists. Seonghwa walks out of the bathroom and checks the time; 5:10. Hongjoong should be here soon.

Seonghwa starts cleaning up his room, especially tidying up his closet, when he hears a knock at the door. “Come in,” he allows, turning back toward his closet.

“Hey,” Yunho’s voice greets, walking inside. “Wow. Someone looks nice.”

“Thanks.” Seonghwa sends Yunho a smile. “Is this enough, though? I feel like I should add something.”

“Maybe a few earrings and a necklace,” Yunho suggests.

“Right,” Seonghwa mutters. He walks over toward his jewelry box, and takes out a pair of earrings, clipping them to his ears, and grabs a silver necklace, letting it dangle on his upper body. “There?”

Yunho nods. “You look perfect, hyung.”

Seonghwa can feel his cheeks heat up. “Th-thanks. Are you going to go out?”

“Um, I’ll probably just hang out with the rest,” Yunho says, shrugging. “You go have fun, though, hyung. You’ll do fine. And don’t hesitate to tell us if you get some tonight.”

“Yunho!” Seonghwa exclaims, his cheeks turning red.

Yunho chuckles. “I’m just messing with you. Well, kinda.”

Seonghwa just rolls his eyes, and that’s when they hear Seonghwa’s phone dinging. He checks it and sees that it’s a text message from Hongjoong, saying he’s outside. Seonghwa texts back, saying he’d be there quickly. “Well, I have to leave now. Call us, if you guys need anything, okay?”

Yunho nods. “You’ll do fine, hyung.”

“Thanks, Yunho.” Seonghwa smiles at the younger, before finally leaving his room. He leaves the dorm, and walks out of the building, seeing Hongjoong’s car. Seonghwa can see Hongjoong waiting for him inside the car, and he smiles. He opens the passenger’s door, getting inside. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Hongjoong looks up from his phone, looking up at Seonghwa. “Wow. You look nice.”

Seonghwa smiles, and he leans over to peck Hongjoong’s lips. “Th-thanks. You look nice, too.” Hongjoong is just dressed in a dark grey turtleneck, a black long-sleeved button-up on top, the shirts tucked into black jeans. He has a black beret on top of his newly dyed white purplish hair, and a light coat of brown eyeshadow on his eyes.

“You ready?” he asks as he begins to drive.

Seonghwa just nods, and he leans over to intertwine his and Hongjoong’s fingers. The younger smiles at the gesture, but he knows Seonghwa is nervous. Hongjoong presses a soft kiss against Seonghwa’s knuckles, making Seonghwa look at him.

“You’ll do fine, Hwa,” he assures. “You’ve talked with my mom before, remember? Just think of it like those times, and you’ll do fine. Just relax. My mom’s literally just the female version of me.”

Seonghwa chuckles. “I know.”

“See? You’ll do fine,” Hongjoong reassures.

Seonghwa just nods, but he’s not so sure until he sees so for himself.

\--

“We’re here,” Hongjoong announces, stopping in front of his mom’s house.

“Her new house looks nice,” Seonghwa mutters. Hongjoong’s mom moved after her ex-husband died since she couldn’t bear living in the same house her ex had died in.

“It does,” Hongjoong agrees. “Come on, let’s go.”

Seonghwa just nods again, and he gets out of the car. He grabs Hongjoong’s hand, and they both walk toward the front door. Hongjoong rings the doorbell, and they wait for someone to open the door. One of the maids do a few seconds later, and she smiles, as she sees Hongjoong.

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Kim,” she says, bowing. The maid looks at Seonghwa, and she smiles at him, bowing. “Hi. I assume you’re Mr. Kim’s boyfriend. He’s talked about you a lot, you know.”

Seonghwa giggles. “Yeah, my name’s Seonghwa. He has?”

“Des, where’s my mom?” Hongjoong changes the subject.

“Mrs. Kim!” the maid calls out. “Your son and his boyfriend are here!” She turns back toward Hongjoong and Seonghwa, bowing again. “You two have a nice evening.”

“Thanks, you, too,” he returns, and the maid smiles at him, before leaving them. Seonghwa lets out a small smirk, and he turns toward Hongjoong. “So you’ve talked about me before, huh?”

“No,” he mutters.

Seonghwa laughs, and he pecks Hongjoong’s cheek as a thank you. They soon hear footsteps, and they look up to see Hongjoong’s mom wearing a beige off the shoulder dress, with a belt around the waist, wearing matching heels. Her hair is up in a messy yet elegant bun, light makeup on her face. Though, once she sees her son and boyfriend, she immediately goes to hug Seonghwa first, hugging him tightly.

“Oh, Seonghwa, it seems like forever that we last saw each other!” she says, pulling away to look at him. “Oh, well, don’t you look beautiful! Hongjoong, you better be treating your man like a queen.”

Hongjoong sighs, rolling his eyes. “Hello to you, too, mom.”

She smiles sheepishly, and she hugs her son. “Hi. Now, have you been treating Seonghwa like a queen?”

“He has, Mrs. Kim,” he assures for Hongjoong. “You don’t need to worry.”

“Ah, please call me Jin-joo,” she allows. “‘Mrs. Kim’ sounds too formal, and you’re going to be my future son in law, Seonghwa! Once you and Hongjoong get married, you can start calling me mom, okay?”

_ “Mom,”  _ Hongjoong hisses.

“What?” she asks innocently.

“Let’s just start eating dinner,” Seonghwa suggests, not wanting Hongjoong and his mom to start fighting.

“Alright,” she agrees and leads them toward the dining room. They all sit down, and the cooks start bringing them their food. They all thank the cooks, and they bow before leaving. “I made sure to know what your favorite foods are, so I can make the cooks make them,” she explains, starting to dig in. “And let me tell you, Seonghwa, you have good taste. But…what made you date my son?”

“Mom-”

“It’s fine, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa assures. “To be honest, I don’t know, Jin-joo. I just…fell in love with him the moment I laid eyes on him. I’ve been in love with him ever since.”

“Aww,” Hongjoong’s mom coos. “So when do you guys want the wedding to be? I have many dates: June 26th, April 2nd, March 3rd…” Hongjoong and Seonghwa don’t bother stopping Hongjoong’s mom. Hongjoong doesn’t, because he’s too busy shaking his head, and wishing his mom would stop, and Seonghwa doesn’t, because he doesn’t want to seem rude. Finally, after what seems like forever, Hongjoong’s mom stops, and she looks at them proudly. “So?”

“Mom, our first anniversary was barely days ago,” Hongjoong reminds. “We’re not even thinking about getting married yet.”

“Fine,” his mom huffs. She thankfully changes the subject, and that’s what they talk about, as they continue eating. When they’re done eating, they get served dessert, which also happens to be Seonghwa’s favorite, but Hongjoong’s favorite this time as well. When they’re done eating everything, Hongjoong suddenly gets a phone call from his work, so he excuses himself to go answer the call. Taking the advantage that they’re alone, Hongjoong’s mom motions for Seonghwa to follow her, and out of curiosity, he does. They arrive in the living room, and Hongjoong’s mom takes out what seems to be a photo album. “Don’t tell Hongjoong, but he was very cute as a baby.”

Seonghwa giggles and Hongjoong’s mom shows him Hongjoong’s baby pictures. Seonghwa coos over all of them, finding baby Hongjoong  _ extremely  _ cute. 

“Aww, he looks so cute in this one,” Seonghwa coos, as Hongjoong’s mom stops in a picture of five-month-old Hongjoong wearing a pig onesie. The hood is on top of his head, and he has his bottle in his mouth. His tiny chubby hands are holding it, and he is looking at the camera, his chubby cheeks being puffed out, because of the bottle.

“You wanna keep it?” his mom offers.

“J-Jin-joo-”

“I insist,” she interrupts. “Besides, I have  _ many  _ other photos of him. I could always make other copies anyway.”

Seonghwa nods, so he hesitantly grabs the picture Hongjoong’s mom is handing him. He coos at the photo, but quickly hides it when they hear Hongjoong entering the room.

“I’m back-” Hongjoong stops himself when he sees the photo album in his mom’s hands, and his boyfriend trying to hide a picture.  _ “Mom.” _

“What?” she asks innocently, smiling sheepishly.

“It’s only fair that your mom shows me your baby pictures,” Seonghwa reminds. “My mom showed you mine.”

“Thank you for having my back on this, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong’s mom says, and she wraps an arm around Seonghwa’s shoulder.

“I don’t like either of you right now,” Hongjoong grumbles.

“I’m sure you’ll forgive me one day.” His mom shrugs. “Seonghwa, though…I’m sure he can make it up to you tonight.”

Seonghwa immediately turns red at Hongjoong’s mom’s remark, whilst Hongjoong just shakes his head. “Yeah, yeah.”

For the next two hours, Hongjoong and Seonghwa continue staying at Hongjoong’s mom’s place. Seonghwa and Hongjoong’s mom do end up planning Hongjoong’s birthday behind his back, and when the clock nears 11:00 PM, that’s when Hongjoong decides it’s time to leave.

“Do you guys have to leave?” his mom whines, not wanting them to leave.

“Yes, mom,” Hongjoong sighs. “Seonghwa and I have work tomorrow.”

“Ah, alright,” Hongjoong’s mom mutters.

Hongjoong says bye to his mom first, hugging her, before walking toward his car. Seonghwa says bye to the female next, hugging her as well, before pulling away.

“Remember what we talked about, Seonghwa,” she whispers, and Seonghwa nods. 

“We’ll talk later, Jin-joo,” he assures. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Seonghwa,” she returns. “Drive back safe.”

Seonghwa nods, thanking her, before walking toward Hongjoong’s car quickly. It is starting to rain, so they’re going to make sure to drive back safely, like Hongjoong’s mom said.

“Ready?” Hongjoong asks, turning on the car.

“Yeah,” Seonghwa replies, buckling himself in.

Hongjoong nods, and he starts driving back toward the dorm, the swipers on the windshield clearing away the water that is falling from the sky. “What did you and my mom talk about?”

“Nothing,” Seonghwa quickly answers.

“Tell me,” Hongjoong orders, and he lays his hand on Seonghwa’s thigh threateningly.

“W-we just talked about when to meet next,” he partially lies, trying to inch away from Hongjoong’s hand, but the male has a strong grip. “N-nothing else.”

Hongjoong nods, but his hand doesn’t move. “What picture did my mom give you?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“She gave you a photo earlier when I returned,” Hongjoong explains. “What photo was it?”

“J-just a baby photo.” No point in lying to Hongjoong now.

“Can I see it?” he questions.  Seonghwa knows he doesn’t have a choice, so he takes the picture out from his pocket. He turns the light on, and he shows it to Hongjoong, who groans once he sees it. “Why did you ask for that one? I hate it.”

“You look so cute in it!” Seonghwa coos. “Look at your chubby cheeks and hands! You looked  _ adorable _ , Joongie.”

“No I don’t,” he grumbles. “Especially in that ridiculous pig suit.”

“Hey, you kept a photo of mine, too,” Seonghwa reminds, letting out a small huff. “It’s only fair.”

Hongjoong rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Did you have fun tonight?”

“That sounds wrong, but yeah I did,” Seonghwa replies.

Hongjoong squeezes Seonghwa’s thigh, making him squawk. “And you say I have a dirty mind,” he grumbles. “But see what I told you? I told you you were going to do fine, and you did.”

“I did,” Seonghwa realizes. “But it was because of how kind your mom is, Hongjoong. And also because of you, too. She raised you right, you know.”

“I know,” he answers cheekily, and Seonghwa lightly smacks his shoulder. Hongjoong chuckles, and he intertwines his and Seonghwa’s fingers together. He kisses Seonghwa’s knuckles softly, making the older blush and softly smile. “I love you, Hwa.”

“I love you, too, Joong.”


	4. Moving In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they’re all in sophomore year, before going into junior year

“Seonghwa, your new homework just arrived!” his mom calls out, as she comes back inside the house with the mail.

“I’ll be right there,” Seonghwa calls back, and his mom hears the sound of his crutches moving against the floor. He soon arrives at the kitchen and sees the orange clasp envelope his mom is holding. It’s kind of thick, but not that much since Seonghwa’s professors don’t want to leave him so much homework. Especially in his current state.

“Here you go.” His mom hands him the envelope.

“Thanks,” he mutters, starting to open it. “Hey, mom?”

“Yeah?”

“When do I have an appointment with the doctor again?”

“Um…I think tomorrow,” his mom replies. “Why?”

“Maybe I can go back to school,” Seonghwa says. He sees his mom opening her mouth to complain, but he beats her to it: “The doctor said I could if all my injuries are healed. My bullet wound is healed, and my ankle is probably healed already, too. I don’t need these crutches nor the wheelchair anymore, mom.”

“What about your PTSD?” she reminds. “That’s not completely healed.”

“Mom-”

“We’ll talk about it later with your father,” she interrupts. “If it was up to me, you wouldn’t return to school until next year, Seonghwa.”

The male just rolls his eyes, grabbing the envelope, and hopping back to his room.

\--

“I’m home!” his father says, as he walks inside the house, closing the door behind him.

“Hey, dad,” Seonghwa greets. “Mom is just finishing dinner.”

“You know, I’m starting to get used to you not helping your mom,” his dad chuckles.

“That’s only because I can’t, and she won’t let me,” Seonghwa pouts. “Oh, and speaking of which, we both have something to tell you, dad.”

“What?” he asks, as he goes to greet his wife.

“Your son is thinking about going back to school,” she grumbles. “I already told him no, but I just decided to wait until you came home to make the final decision.”

“Why do you want to go back to school, Seonghwa?” his dad questions.

“I miss my friends,” Seonghwa explains. “I’m also bored being stuck here all day. I want to go back to class because I honestly miss it. I wanna go back. My injuries are all healed, too. Well, I don’t know yet about my ankle, but I’m sure it’s healed.”

“What about your PTSD?” his father inquires.

Seonghwa suppresses back a groan. “It’s…it’s not completely healed, but come on. I only get my nightmares at night, and I have most of my classes with my friends. If something reminds me of… _ him _ …then they’ll be right there to comfort me.”

His father just nods, thinking about it. Seonghwa looks at his father hopefully, and he looks back at him, a smile growing on his face. “Well, why not?”

“Park!” Seonghwa’s mom exclaims, looking at her husband in disbelief.

“Sweetheart, Seonghwa’s going to be okay,” he assures. “His friends are going to be there by his side. And besides, there’s staff all around. They’re going to be able to help him if he’s ever in trouble. Just have some trust in him.”

Seonghwa’s mom just sighs. “Fine. But if you get just one nightmare…”

Seonghwa squeals and he would go hug his mom if he could. “Thanks, mom!” 

\--

**acheese ☕🧀 **

**seonghwa:** **  
** guys, ijijdij i gotta tell you something

**hongjoong:** **  
** seonghwa?? keyboard?? smash?? typing??

**yunho:** **  
** is that rlly u hyung :(

**seonghwa:** **  
** shut up

**seonghwa:** **  
** i have some exciting news

**yeosang:** **  
** is it boring ‘exciting’ news :/

**seonghwa:** **  
** no :(

**seonghwa:** **  
** i’m coming back to school!!!! yayyy!!

**san:** **  
** WHAT REALLY YAYYYY 

**mingi:** **  
** we got the group back together again 

**hongjoong:** **  
** i’ll pick u up tomorrow and we’ll go to uni together yayyy ijidjeidje

**wooyoung:** **  
** why are u excited tho hyung school’s boring

**seonghwa:** **  
** well at least i’m not going to be stuck in my home anymore so that’s something

**seonghwa:** **  
** besides, i missed you guys

**jongho:** **  
** aww :’)

**Seonghwa:  
** **** 사랑해  <3

**hongjoong:** **  
** we love you too hwa <33

**yunho:** **  
** <333

**yeosang:** **  
** ew but <3333

**san:** **  
** lmao yeosang <33333

**mingi:** **  
** <333333

**wooyoung:** **  
** <3333333

**jongho:** **  
** <33333333

\--

The next day, Hongjoong picks up Seonghwa, as promised. They go back to university, and the others are ecstatic to see Seonghwa again. They haven’t seen each other in weeks, especially since they’re too busy with school. The rest hug Seonghwa tightly, but not too tight, so they wouldn’t hurt his already healed injuries. Seonghwa then goes back to his classes, and all his professors go easy on him still. And of course, people find out that Hongjoong and Seonghwa are dating. A few are surprised by their relationship, especially since they never expected Hongjoong to be gay. Though the people that do say something, they get a warning from Hongjoong—he’s still kind of scary, despite his height—and most of the people that find out just congratulate them. Everything then goes back to normal—the eight still continue to hang out, Hongjoong and Seonghwa continue to date, as well as Yunho and Mingi, Yeosang and Jongho, and San and Wooyoung. Nothing important or unusual happens until it’s the week after Hongjoong and Seonghwa have the dinner with Seonghwa’s parents and Hongjoong’s mom.

It’s a Wednesday, and Seonghwa’s barely finishing his classes. He’s exhausted, and he just wants to go back to his dorm. He starts walking back toward his dorm and checks the time; 9:13 PM. Seonghwa’s classes today just happened to last two hours, and he’s lucky enough his classes didn’t last three hours. Sighing, Seonghwa continues to walk toward the dorms, but soon stops in his tracks when he sees construction going on.

“What is all this?” he mutters.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t pass, sir,” a worker says, noticing him. “We’re working on construction right now.”

“Why?” Seonghwa asks.

“We need to remodel everything,” the worker explains.

Seonghwa frowns. “Is that really important? Think of all the people that are living here. You’re kicking them out of their homes.”

“Yes, it is important,” the worker says. “Please. You can’t enter. We’ll hopefully be done in four or five days.”

“‘Hopefully’?” Seonghwa repeats, an eyebrow raised.

“Something…might go wrong,” the worker mutters.

Seonghwa just sighs. “Fine.” He turns and starts to walk away, taking out his phone to call Hongjoong. 

The younger soon replies, his voice sounding a bit stressed out: “Hello?” 

“Hey,” Seonghwa greets, sitting down on a bench. “Where are you?”

“I’m in my last class working on a song,” Hongjoong replies. “Why? Is everything okay?”

“The dorms are closed off,” Seonghwa sighs. “Apparently, they’re remodeling the buildings, which is  _ so  _ important.”

“That’s so stupid,” Hongjoong mumbles. “Have you called the others yet?”

“No,” Seonghwa says. “I was about to. I just wanted to hear your voice after finishing my classes.”

“You barely finished your classes?” Hongjoong sounds surprised.

“Yeah,” Seonghwa answers, leaning back against the bench. “They lasted two hours today, and I’m just so exhausted, I can sleep on the bench I’m sitting on right now.”

“Let’s call the others then, and meet up at the coffee shop nearby,” Hongjoong suggests. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Okay,” Seonghwa agrees. “You call Yunho, Yeosang, and San, and I’ll call Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho.”

“Deal,” Hongjoong says. “Bye, Hwa.”

“Bye, Joong,” he returns, before hanging up. Seonghwa sighs, and dials Mingi’s number, waiting for him to pick up. The younger soon does, and Seonghwa explains to him what’s going on, and Mingi agrees to meet up. Seonghwa calls Wooyoung and Jongho, and they both agree, too. When Seonghwa’s done calling them, he gets up, groaning at his sore limbs, before starting to walk toward the coffee shop. He’s the first one there, so he orders drinks for everyone, before going to sit down. Hongjoong soon arrives with Yunho, Yeosang, and San, before Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho arrive, too.

“Hey, everyone,” Hongjoong greets, and he pecks Seonghwa’s lips as a thank you and greeting, as he grabs his cup.

“Hey,” the rest greet back in unison.

“Thanks for the drink, Seonghwa-hyung,” Yunho says, taking a sip of his.

Seonghwa nods. “So where do you guys plan on living now that the dorms are closed off?”

“Why don’t we go back to our homes?” Yeosang suggests.

“Mine and Mingi’s are too far from campus,” San reminds. 

“Yeah, and my parents kicked me out,” Wooyoung adds. 

“Oh, sorry,” Yeosang apologizes. “I forgot.”

“It’s fine,” Wooyoung assures, shrugging, as he sips on his drink.

“Ooh, my parents own a house not far from here,” Mingi says. “We can live in there.”

“Are your parents going to be okay with it?” Jongho asks.

Mingi nods. “They basically bought it for me.”

“Are your parents rich or something, Mingi?” Hongjoong mutters.

“No,” Mingi giggles, “but they thought I wanted to live on my own after I graduated from high school, so they gave it to me. The house is too close to the woods, so I don’t want to live in it. But now that you guys might go, too, I can stay in it now.”

“Scaredy cat,” Yunho teases, making Mingi smack his arm.

“Let’s stay in there then,” Seonghwa decides.

“Wait, what about our clothes and everything?” Yeosang reminds.

“Uh, we can go back to our houses, and we can just let Wooyoung borrow our stuff,” San suggests.

Mingi shrugs. “I’m fine with it.” The others agree.

“So should you guys go to our homes right now, or…?” Wooyoung questions.

“Do we have a choice, hyung?” Jongho mumbles, and they all start getting up, walking out of the coffee shop.

\--

“Wow,” they all except Mingi gape, as they arrive in front of the male’s house.

“I know right,” he agrees. 

“Do you have the keys?” Hongjoong inquires.

Mingi nods, and he walks toward the front door, hauling his suitcases behind him. He takes out the keys and unlocks the front door, the rest walking in behind him. They’re greeted with fresh air, and the house isn’t surprisingly empty. It has a few boxes and a bit of furniture.

“The good news is the house has four rooms,” Mingi says, “so we can each room with someone. I call dibs on Yunho!”

The rest then start calling dibs on their boyfriends, so they walk upstairs to see their rooms. Surprisingly, there’s a king-sized bed in each, which makes them wonder why Mingi’s parents brought a king-sized bed in each room of the house.

“Mingi, why is there a king-sized bed in each room?” Seonghwa decides to voice their thoughts.

“My parents thought ahead,” Mingi explains. “They thought maybe someday I’ll bring guests over, so they bought the beds.”

“Then why four rooms?” Yunho asks.

“A-ask them,” Mingi mutters. “There are only four bathrooms, and only one room doesn’t have a bathroom. So if you want, you can shower with each other, I guess. Just don’t make too much noise please.”

“Ugh, I’m so exhausted, I can sleep right now,” Seonghwa mumbles, as he walks inside his and Hongjoong’s room.

“Come on, Hwa, you need to shower,” he reminds. “I can help you shower if you want, but you still need to. You kinda stink.”

“Rude,” Seonghwa huffs, as he lets Hongjoong pull him into the shower.

Hongjoong chuckles, and once he and Seonghwa are in the bathroom, he closes the door behind him.

\--

The next morning, Hongjoong and Seonghwa wake up at the same time. It’s not their first time sleeping on the same bed, so they both smile at each other once they see the other is up. They’re both in each other’s arms, their legs tangled together. They definitely had a good night’s sleep last night.

“Morning,” Hongjoong greets, his voice thick with sleep, making it rough.

Seonghwa shudders at the younger’s voice but tries not to show it. “M-morning.”

Hongjoong smiles, and he leans in until his and Seonghwa’s lips are touching. Seonghwa whines in protest, knowing he has morning breath, but Hongjoong doesn’t seem to mind. Finally, Seonghwa gives in, and he wraps his arms around Hongjoong’s shoulders, pulling him closer. Hongjoong does the same to Seonghwa’s waist, and their lips move together in sync. They don’t pull away until they need oxygen, their lips a bit red and swollen. Hongjoong chuckles, and he pecks Seonghwa’s nose.

“What time is it?” Hongjoong questions, as he starts to get up.

“Um…” Seonghwa turns around to look at the clock. “7:41.”

“Good thing we changed our classes to 9:00 AM,” Hongjoong chuckles.

Seonghwa nods in agreement. “Good thing you made me shower last night. I feel so much better.”

“Especially since we…” Hongjoong smirks at Seonghwa, making him turn red, and throw a pillow at him. Seonghwa quickly gets up, ignoring Hongjoong laughing, as he walks toward the bathroom. But Hongjoong pulls him back, grabbing his wrist. “You know I was just messing with you, right?”

“Yes,” he grumbles. “Now let me go. I need to go pee.”

“Give me a kiss first,” Hongjoong orders.

“You know what that leads to,” Seonghwa reminds. “We don’t have time for that, Joong.”

“You’re such a party pooper,” he whines, as he lets Seonghwa go.

“And you’re such a needy baby,” he shoots back.

“You love it.”

“Who said?”

“I hate you,” Hongjoong frowns, making Seonghwa laugh. “What time do the others have class again?”

“Um…Yunho has class at 11, Yeosang, San, and Mingi have class at 12, and Wooyoung and Jongho have class at 1,” he replies.

“We don’t have to wake them up then,” Hongjoong says excitedly. “I’ll wait for you downstairs, Hwa.”

“Okay,” he says, and Hongjoong leaves. Seonghwa soon joins him a few minutes later, seeing Hongjoong already changed into a black sweater and faded blue jeans. But what doesn’t really surprise Seonghwa is that Hongjoong hasn’t made breakfast yet.

“Kim Hongjoong, why didn’t you make breakfast?” Seonghwa sighs, as he opens the fridge. To his surprise, there’s food in there, so he takes out a couple of eggs.

“Too lazy.” Hongjoong shrugs. Seonghwa just shakes his head, starting to make their breakfast. They’re in silence for a few more moments, before Hongjoong speaks up: “Hwa?”

“Yeah?” Seonghwa glances at Hongjoong, before looking down at his cooking.

“Do you…” Hongjoong seems hesitant to voice his thoughts.

“Just spit it out, Hongjoong.”

The male sighs. “Do you ever think about us…moving in together?”

Seonghwa totally isn’t expecting that, and he almost drops the burning hot pan he’s holding. He feels his hand starting to give out, so he quickly places the pan on the stove. “W-what do you mean?”

“It was nice waking up together,” Hongjoong starts, a small smile on his face. “Wouldn’t it be nice to always wake up together, though? And have our own place to call ours? I mean, we’ve been dating for over a year. Maybe it’s time to move in together.”

“I-isn’t it a bit too early?” Seonghwa stutters.

Hongjoong shrugs. “For me, it isn’t. But if it’s too early for you, I understand. Just give it some thought, and tell me what you think later. By the way, I think the eggs are starting to burn.”

Seonghwa snaps out of his trance and quickly turns off the stove before the eggs can burn. He serves the eggs on two plates and starts making the toast and coffee, not saying anything else. Hongjoong doesn’t say anything else, either.

\--

For the rest of the day, Seonghwa can’t stop thinking about what Hongjoong has said. He wants to move in  _ together _ ? Isn’t that a bit early? I mean, Hongjoong and Seonghwa  _ have  _ been dating for over a year, so maybe they can move in together in their own place. But…Seonghwa somehow isn’t ready for it. He’s not ready to have a place with Hongjoong. Yet, at the same time, Seonghwa  _ loves  _ the idea of moving in with Hongjoong. Seonghwa needs another person’s opinion on this. And more than one person’s. He needs to call Yeosang, San, Mingi, and possibly the others, too. Yeosang, San, and Mingi are available, but Yunho, Wooyoung, and Jongho aren’t. They’re with Hongjoong.

“Hey, hyung,” Yeosang greets, as he and San sit down in front of Seonghwa. “Sorry if we’re a bit late.”

“I-it’s fine,” he assures.

“What did you need to talk about?” San asks.

Seonghwa nervously chews on his straw, a bit hesitant.

“Park Seonghwa, just tell us already,” Yeosang groans.

“It’s  _ hyung _ , Yeosang,” San reminds quietly.

“I know.”

“It’s fine, San. I needed that,” Seonghwa mutters. He takes a deep breath in, letting out, before saying, “H-Hongjoong asked me to move in with him.”

It takes a few moments, but Yeosang’s and San’s eyes widen, and they almost spit out the sip of the drinks they have taken.  _ “What?!” _

Seonghwa gnaws on his bottom lip. “Sh-should I say yes?”

“L-let’s roll back a little,” Yeosang says, clearing his throat. “When did Hongjoong-hyung ask you that?”

“Th-this morning.”

“Why did he ask you?” San questions.

“I-I don’t know,” Seonghwa mumbles. “I was just making breakfast when he suddenly brought that up. I almost dropped the pan I was holding out of shock.”

“You guys  _ have  _ been dating for a year, one month, and one week,” Yeosang reminds.

“You keep count, Yeosang?” Seonghwa and San look at him in surprise.

“What? I can’t?”

“Y-you can,” Seonghwa says. “I’m just…in shock right now. Should I say yes?”

“Only if you’re ready for it,” San says. “Do you  _ want  _ to move in with Hongjoong-hyung?”

“I’ve thought about it before,” Seonghwa admits. 

“Do you love hyung?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s it!” Yeosang says. “What other reasons do you need to do this?”

“I-I don’t know,” Seonghwa groans. “I’m still…a bit worried.”

“About what?” San demands, and it’s obvious he wants to grab Seonghwa and smack the nonsense he’s thinking out of him. “That Hongjoong will kill you? That he doesn’t love you enough to be serious? What are you so worried about, hyung?”

“That we might break up,” Seonghwa finally replies. “I-if we break up, then what? I don’t want to be living in the same place as my ex. That’ll be weird.”

“First of all, you guys will never break up, because we won’t let you guys,” Yeosang reminds. “Second of all, if you ever  _ do  _ break up—which again, might never happen—then you guys break up. You guys are still going to be best friends, and nothing’s going to change between you two. You have nothing to worry about, hyung. Honestly, it’s all up to you, but San and I both think you should move in with Hongjoong.”

“I’ll…I’ll think about it more then,” Seonghwa promises.

“Good,” San says, taking a quick sip of his drink, before changing the subject to what Wooyoung surprisingly told him the other day.

\--

A few hours later, Seonghwa arrives back at the current house he and the rest are staying in. He’s not expecting anyone else to be done with their classes, so when he sees Hongjoong in the living room, he’s surprised.

“O-oh, hi,” he greets, closing the door behind him. “Don’t you have classes still?”

“They ended early,” Hongjoong explains, looking up from his laptop. “How did your day go?”

“It went…fine,” Seonghwa partially lies.

“Is something on your mind?” Hongjoong seems to notice.

Seonghwa doesn’t bother lying, knowing Hongjoong can see through him. “What…you told me in the morning, it’s stuck in my head.”

“About moving in?” Hongjoong asks. Seonghwa nods. “Hwa, I was just saying stuff. Kinda. I mean, I  _ have  _ thought about moving in with you, but you-”

“I want to,” he interrupts, making Hongjoong’s eyes widen.

“W-what?”

“I want to move in with you,” Seonghwa says. “You have a point. We’ve been dating for more than a year, and we love each other very much, right? So even if we break up, we’re still going to be best friends.”

Hongjoong smiles and Seonghwa call tell he’s relieved. “We are. Come here.” Hongjoong takes his laptop off his lap, and Seonghwa smiles, going over to Hongjoong. Seonghwa sits down on the younger’s lap and engulfs him into a kiss. Hongjoong wraps his arms around Seonghwa’s waist, squeezing it lightly. They soon pull away, and Seonghwa rests his head against Hongjoong’s shoulder.

“Have you thought about where we can move in?” Seonghwa questions. 

“Um, yeah,” Hongjoong replies. He grabs his laptop and places it on Seonghwa’s lap, so they can both see the screen. “I was just looking at that right now. I know we don’t have to move in right now, but I figured that we both have savings from our jobs, plus the money our parents might give us, so that’s enough, right? We can move into two-room apartments or single-room apartments. Honestly, I don’t care where we live, but we can live in houses, a penthouse, a cul-de-sac, a-” Hongjoong’s soon shut up, though, feeling Seonghwa’s warm pair of lips on his. Hongjoong’s a bit surprised, but he kisses back, the two pulling away when they need oxygen. “W-what was that?”

“I love you,” Seonghwa says, a soft smile on his face. “I really love you  _ so much _ , Kim Hongjoong.”

The raven-haired male smiles, and he pecks Seonghwa’s lips. “I love you a lot, too, Park Seonghwa.”

\--

After Hongjoong and Seonghwa find a place to live that is near the university, but near their parents’ house as well, they buy the two-story house. At first, Seonghwa’s a bit hesitant, because he thinks a two-story house is a bit too much, especially since it’s just him and Hongjoong. The house also costs around $854,347,632, which is  _ a lot  _ in Seonghwa’s eyes, but Hongjoong’s rich. That doesn’t mean Seonghwa wants to accept Hongjoong’s money, though. But after a lot of convincing, Seonghwa finally gives in. (There isn’t another place they _both_ want to live in anyway.)

“Wow,” Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho gape in unison, as they walk inside the house. 

“It’s so  _ fancy _ ,” Yunho says. “You two afforded this place?”

“All thanks to Hongjoong we did,” Seonghwa mutters. “I still can’t believe you all made me agree to let him buy this.”

“You’re going to buy everything else, hyung,” Yeosang reminds.

“We all know Hongjoong-hyung’s going to be a few things, too, though,” San mumbles under his breath, but everyone hears it, making Mingi nudge his side.

“Yeah, I know,” Seonghwa grumbles, glaring at Hongjoong.

“You love me, Hwa,” he says sheepishly, wrapping his arms around Seonghwa’s waist from behind.

“You’re lucky I do,” he murmurs, and the rest just laugh at them.

“Are your parents going to help us unpack?” Mingi asks.

“They should be coming tomorrow,” Hongjoong says. “Why don’t you guys move in together, too?”

“San and I already did,” Wooyoung says. “We’ve done it before you guys.”

“Well, what about the rest then?” Seonghwa asks.

“We’ll move in soon,” Jongho assures, trying to ignore the look Yeosang’s giving him.

“I think we still need to save more money,” Yunho says, Mingi nodding in agreement. 

“I’m hungry,” Yeosang suddenly announces. “Do you guys have food?”

“Um, no?” Hongjoong looks at Yeosang weirdly. “We barely moved in, Yeosang.”

“Then let’s go out to eat!” San excitedly suggests.

“I’m tired from moving all the boxes, though,” Mingi whines.

“Well, too bad,” Wooyoung says. “Let’s go!” Wooyoung grabs Mingi’s wrist and starts dragging him out of Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s new house. The rest laugh, before following behind them.

\--

“This is nice, right?” Hongjoong questions, as he slides into bed next to Seonghwa.

“What’s nice?” he says jokingly.

Hongjoong rolls his eyes, smacking Seonghwa’s arm playfully. “You know what I mean.”

Seonghwa giggles and he kisses Hongjoong. “Of course this is nice. I’m glad I made the right choice. But we-  _ you  _ shouldn’t have wasted so much money. I could’ve helped, you know.”

“I didn’t want you to,” Hongjoong says. “And besides, you can pay me back in other ways.” Hongjoong waggles his eyebrows at Seonghwa, making him turn a light shade of red, and smack his arm.

“Nasty,” Seonghwa mutters.

Hongjoong laughs. “I’m just messing with you, Hwa. Well, kinda.”

“I know,” he grumbles, and he turns away from Hongjoong. “Goodnight.”

Hongjoong rolls his eyes, and he presses a kiss on Seonghwa’s shoulder blade, swinging an arm around his waist, and pulling him closer. “Goodnight, Hwa. Hey, this is our first night in our new house. Maybe we should make it memorable.” Hongjoong starts to slide his hand down Seonghwa’s side, but the older turns around, before Hongjoong’s hand can go any further.

“You really want to me to rip off your dick, don’t you?” Seonghwa glares at Hongjoong.

“That’s kinky,” he chuckles. “You know I’m just messing around with you, Hwa. We don’t have to have sex if you don’t want to.”

“I-I know.” Seonghwa lets out a shaky breath, making Hongjoong frown. “G-goodnight.”

Hongjoong’s a bit worried, and he kisses Seonghwa’s forehead. “Goodnight.” Hongjoong knows he just made Seonghwa feel worried, so he’s planning on making it up to him tomorrow. He just hopes Seonghwa will be okay tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ateez’s comeback is tomorrow. are you guys ready? bc i’m not.
> 
> also, sorry if i don’t include seonghwa’s ptsd. i just want almost everything to be happy, and not angtsy like “love talk“ lol. but it will be mentioned in a few one-shots, so dw ig.


	5. Graduation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they’re all in senior year, and graduating from the university

A year after Hongjoong and Seonghwa moved into their own place, and before they know it, their graduation is nearing. They’ve all thankfully passed their finals, after many nights of stressing, studying, and going on no sleep with just coffee to get them by. Their graduation is just in two days. They’ve all already bought their graduation gowns and caps, except for Seonghwa, who seems to be the student responsible for the ceremony. He has many things to do, and he doesn’t have enough time to buy the cap and gown. The others have offered to buy it for him, so he doesn’t need to continue stressing, but Seonghwa always denies.

“You’re still here, hyung?” says a new voice, as they all walk toward where Seonghwa is at—the field where the ceremony is going to be held.

“Yes,” he mutters. “No, don’t that put chair right there. Put it exactly one inch away from the other one. Please.”

“Maybe you should take a break, babe,” Hongjoong suggests, noticing how Seonghwa almost snapped at the worker. And Seonghwa never snaps at strangers, even if they are doing something bad. 

“‘Maybe you should take a break, babe’,” he mimics.  _ “Please _ . Are you even listening to me? That chair is not exactly one inch away from the other chair.”

“We’re sorry,” Yeosang apologizes to the worker, as he grabs Seonghwa’s arm, starting to pull-  _ drag  _ him toward another destination. Hongjoong goes up to another worker and starts telling her the situation, and she nods, starting to tell the workers what they should do. Hongjoong sighs in relief, and he jogs toward the others, who are trying to calm down a worried and yelling Seonghwa.

“I still have so much stuff to do!” he exclaims. “Graduation is  _ two days away _ . Everything needs to be  _ perfect _ . Please just let me-”

“Park Seonghwa, you are not going back there, and that’s final,” Hongjoong orders sternly, making his boyfriend look up at him with glazed eyes. Hongjoong immediately feels bad for raising his voice at Seonghwa, especially since the older starts to cry. “Look, I’m sorry I raised my voice, but you need to understand that taking a break is okay. Not everything is perfect, Seonghwa, and you need to understand that. You’re lucky enough you didn’t have an attack out here. Now, I’m going to ask you a question, and if you say yes, I’ll let you go back, okay?” Seonghwa slowly nods, sniffling. “Have you bought your graduation cap and gown yet?”

Seonghwa stays quiet for a few seconds, before he mutters, “N-no…”

“That’s what I thought,” Hongjoong grumbles. “Now, come on, we’re going to buy you your graduation stuff.”

“Hongjoong-”

“Hyung, it’s better if you don’t complain,” San whispers.

Seonghwa just sighs, knowing San is right. They all walk toward the library where the students can buy their graduation stuff. 

“Are you hungry, hyung?” Mingi asks.

“No,” Seonghwa lies, but, as if on cue, his stomach grumbles.

Wooyoung sighs. “You didn’t have to lie to us, hyung. We could’ve brought you food.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Seonghwa mumbles, his voice cracking at the end.

“Oh, hyung, please don’t cry,” Wooyoung says, immediately going to Seonghwa’s aid. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“Hyung, you pabo,” Jongho scowls, nudging Wooyoung’s side.

“What happened now?” Hongjoong sighs, but his eyes widen, as he sees Seonghwa’s crying. “Who made Seonghwa cry?”

“Wooyoung,” the rest except the said purple-haired male accuse, pointing at him.

Wooyoung rolls his eyes. “Thanks for having my back, guys.”

“You’re welcome.” Yunho smiles at him.

“Hwa, baby, why are you crying?” Hongjoong questions softly, bringing Seonghwa’s chin up with his index finger and thumb.

“I-I’m sorry,” Seonghwa sobs. “I-I’ve made everyone mad, and I-I don’t want them to be mad. I-I’m sorry.”

“Hyung, you didn’t make us mad,” Yeosang assures. “You just made us worried for you. We just wanted to make sure you’re okay. We’re sorry if we made you feel bad.”

“How about you go back to our house, and the rest of us will take care of everything else, okay?” Hongjoong suggests, smiling softly, as he wipes Seonghwa’s tears away with his thumbs.

Seonghwa shakes his head. “N-no. They still need my help with preparing the ceremony-”

“I’m sure Namjoon-hyung will be able to handle it,” San interrupts. “Hongjoong-hyung’s right, hyung. You need your rest.”

Seonghwa sighs, knowing he can’t win this. “Fine.”

Hongjoong smiles in triumph, and he pecks Seonghwa’s lips. “You have the keys, right?” Seonghwa nods. “Alright. Can you guys take him home?” 

“What are you going to do, hyung?” Mingi inquires.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hongjoong replies. “I’ll be home soon. Make sure Seonghwa takes a nice hot bath, eats, and sleeps, okay? I won’t be gone for long.”

It’s obvious the others want to ask more questions, but they don’t. They wave bye at each other, before going their separate ways.

\--

“Do you feel better now, hyung?” Wooyoung asks as he pulls the covers up to Seonghwa’s chin.

“Much,” he answers, his eyes feeling heavy. “By the way, guys, I’m sorry…for crying earlier. I…don’t know what came over me.”

Jongho smiles, and even though he hates affection and aegyo, he stills leans down to press a kiss on Seonghwa’s forehead. “Sleep well, hyung.”

Seonghwa smiles tiredly back. “Thanks, Jongho.”

The rest say their goodbyes as well before they walk out of Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s room. It’s around 6:26 PM, and they had left earlier around four. They had been able to get Seonghwa to eat, take a nice hot bath, and sang him to sleep. But Hongjoong is still gone, and he hasn’t texted nor called any of them about his whereabouts.

“Where do you guys think Hongjoong-hyung is?” Yunho asks as they all sit down on the couch.

“He’s probably buying Seonghwa-hyung’s graduation stuff,” Yeosang replies. “He should be here soon.”

“What if he…dies?” San hesitantly questions.

“Are you crazy?!” Mingi exclaims, giving San a bizarre look. “Why would Hongjoong-hyung suddenly die?”

“H-he could get into a car crash,” San says pointedly. “I’m just worried for him, Mingi.”

“You guys do realize that we can  _ call him _ , right?” Wooyoung says.

“Pfft, we knew that,” Jongho scoffs, as he grabs his phone. Wooyoung just shakes his head at them, and Jongho starts dialing Hongjoong’s number. The line picks up a few seconds later. “Hyung?”

“Hey, Jongho,” he greets. “What’s up? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Jongho assures. “We just want to know if  _ you’re  _ okay.”

“I am,” Hongjoong answers. “I’m just buying stuff for Seonghwa. Is he asleep yet?”

“Yeah,” Jongho responds. “He also ate and took a nice hot bath. Just like you said.”

“Thanks, Jongho,” Hongjoong says. “Are you guys hungry?”

“Let me ask the others,” Jongho says, and he pulls the phone away from his ear. “Are you guys hungry?”

“I am,” Yunho says, the rest adding ‘me too.’ 

Jongho goes back to his phone. “We’re all hungry, hyung.”

“Alright, I’ll bring you guys some food,” Hongjoong promises. “I’ll be there soon.”

“Where are you, hyung?” Jongho inquires.

“I’m driving toward the nearest restaurant I can find,” Hongjoong explains. 

“Oh, okay,” Jongho says. “Get here soon.”

“I will. Bye.”

“Bye,” Jongho returns before he and Hongjoong end the call.

“So where is he?” Yunho asks.

“He’s driving toward the nearest restaurant,” Jongho says. “He’ll be here soon.”

\--

“I’m back!” Hongjoong announces as he closes the door behind him, holding three bags.

“Hyung!” the rest say in unison. “You’re back! And with food!”

“Yeah,” Hongjoong says, handing the bag to Yeosang since he’s reaching for it. “Is Seonghwa still asleep?”

“Yeah,” Yeosang replies. “He’s been asleep for about 30 minutes now.”

“That’s good,” Hongjoong says. 

“Why did he even agree to plan the ceremony?” San asks as he starts to eat the chicken Hongjoong brought them.

“He needed a distraction,” he mutters, averting eye contact.

“From what?” Mingi questions.

Hongjoong sighs. “We fought on Friday, and we haven’t really talked since.”

“It’s Wednesday today,” Wooyoung mutters, trying to put the pieces together. He then gasps, looking at Hongjoong with wide eyes. “You guys haven’t talked for almost a week!”

“Impossible,” Jongho mumbles.

“What was the fight even about?” Yunho inquires.

“Something stupid,” Hongjoong grumbles. “He wanted to go the party Taehyung is throwing the day after graduation, but I keep telling him that he can’t go, and he just says I can’t make decisions for him, and I reply with that he can’t go to any parties, since we might lose him, and he might have an attack, but he doesn’t want to listen. I ended up sleeping the couch ever since, and the only time we talk to each other is if we’re forced to.”

Yeosang can’t help but giggle, making everyone look at him with an eyebrow raised.

“Why are you laughing, Yeosang?” San asks.

“It’s just…Hongjoong-hyung really thinks Seonghwa’s going to take no for an answer about going to a party,” Yeosang explains. “Hyung, whether you like it or not, Seonghwa’s going to the party one way or another.”

“Unless you chain him to something,” Mingi chimes in. “I don’t think he’d be able to break out of those.”

Hongjoong sighs. “I know. I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to try, so I tried to tell him he can’t go, but it just escalated into a huge fight.”

“You better say sorry to him once he feels all better,” Wooyoung warns.

Hongjoong glares at Wooyoung for his tone but knows the younger is right. “Yeah, I know.”

\--

When Seonghwa wakes up, it’s already 2:20 AM. Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho had left around three hours ago, Hongjoong telling them it was too late. They made Hongjoong promise to apologize to Seonghwa and tell them how he’s doing when he wakes up, and Hongjoong gives in, knowing it’s the only way to make the others leave. Hongjoong can’t find the power in himself to sleep when Seonghwa’s ‘sick’, so he stays up. He’s sitting down next to the spot Seonghwa’s in, reading a book with only the lamp turned on. He has glasses on, and once he hears movement next to him, he knows Seonghwa has woken up.

“Morning,” Hongjoong greets, making Seonghwa look at him.

“M-morning,” Seonghwa returns, letting out a small yawn. “God, what time is it?”

“2:22 in the morning,” Hongjoong replies, going back to his book.

Seonghwa’s eyes widen.  _ “What?!  _ I thought it was five or something.”

Hongjoong shakes his head. “You’ve been asleep ever since then. But that’s a good thing since you had your rest. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine,” Seonghwa answers. “Why are you awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Hongjoong responds. 

“Why not?”

Hongjoong shrugs. “Just couldn’t.”

“Go to sleep, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa sighs. “If you want, I’ll even let you sleep on the bed tonight.”

“Just tonight?” Hongjoong raises an eyebrow at Seonghwa, making him roll his eyes.

“Yes,” he says. “Now come on. It’s late.”

“You can go back to sleep,” Hongjoong mutters.

“Kim Hongjoong, don’t make me repeat myself,” Seonghwa warns in his motherly tone, which makes a shiver go down Hongjoong’s spine because that’s the tone his mother would speak to him when he was younger whenever he did something bad.

“You know, you’d be such a strict mom,” he grumbles, finally closing his book.

Seonghwa rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Go to sleep now.”

“Yes, mom,” Hongjoong mumbles under his breath, but he purposely says it a bit louder, so Seonghwa can hear him.

“I can hear you, you know.”

“I know.”

Seonghwa just sighs, and he pulls the covers just below his shoulders. He watches as Hongjoong slides into bed next to him, and Seonghwa can’t help but stare at him.

“Hongjoong?”

The raven-haired male hums in response, looking at Seonghwa. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry if I was being too stubborn earlier,” he says. “I was just too stressed out.”

“It’s okay, Hwa,” Hongjoong assures. “You were only stressed out because you were spending too much time planning the ceremony. Did  _ you  _ like it when  _ I  _ spent all my nights not sleeping, and working on my songs?”

“No…”

“Exactly,” Hongjoong says. “It’s the same, Hwa. Just don’t do it again, okay? You had me really worried about you.”

“Sorry,” he mutters.

Hongjoong smiles, and he tucks a brown strand that has fallen into Seonghwa’s eyes behind his ear. “It’s fine. I…also have something to apologize for.”

Seonghwa looks up at Hongjoong. “What?”

“I’m sorry about our fight on Saturday,” he finally says. “We were both being stubborn, and we said some things we didn’t mean, but that doesn’t mean I hate you, Seonghwa. I still love you, and if you still want to go to Taehyung’s party then I understand. I’ll be fine with it.”

Seonghwa smiles, and he cups Hongjoong’s cheek, before finally pressing their lips together. Hongjoong immediately kisses back, grabbing the hand that is on his cheek. They kiss passionately for a few more seconds, before pulling away.

“I do want to go,” Seonghwa says softly, “but only if you promise to stay by my sides at all times.”

“Are you sure?” Hongjoong asks.

Seonghwa nods. “I’m sure.”

“Then I will,” Hongjoong accepts, and Seonghwa smiles at him, before snuggling up closer to him. It isn’t long, before the two fall asleep.

\--

The next morning, all the seniors have a day off to start preparing for their graduation. Seonghwa still doesn’t know that Hongjoong bought his graduation grown and cap—Hongjoong has hidden it in a closet where he knows Seonghwa never looks—so Seonghwa wouldn’t be able to find it. But Hongjoong does need to act fast before Seonghwa buys his own graduation gown and cap.

When Hongjoong wakes up, he already knows the space next to him is empty. The movement and noises coming from downstairs confirm his thoughts. He lets out a small smile at the thought of Seonghwa, walks toward the bathroom to do his morning business, and wash his hands and face. When he walks downstairs, he sees Seonghwa making breakfast in the kitchen, whilst talking to someone on the phone. Though Seonghwa seems to be on hold, so Hongjoong creeps up behind him, before wrapping his arms around his waist, making him jump.

“Hongjoong!” he exclaims, hitting his arm. “You almost made me have a heart attack!”

“Hehe, sorry,” he apologizes sheepishly, pressing a soft kiss on Seonghwa’s neck. “Who are you talking to?”

“Namjoon-hyung,” he replies. Surprisingly, even after the whole Jimin fiasco and everything, Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho became friends with Namjoon, Jin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Taehyung, and Jeongguk. They’re actually very nice people, unlike Jimin, and often do stuff for the eight they don’t expect, but still appreciate.

“Seonghwa, you know you shouldn’t be thinking about the ceremony,” Hongjoong reminds.

“I know,” Seonghwa says. “I just want to make sure everything’s okay.”

“Namjoon-hyung has everything under control,” Hongjoong says. “He has good leadership, so just relax, and let him be in charge of everything. If he needs help, he’ll call you.”

“I know, but I wasn’t calling him for the ceremony,” Seonghwa says. “Well, I kinda was, but that’s not why I called him.”

“Then why did you call him?” Hongjoong asks.

“To know if there’s still any graduation gowns and caps in my size,” Seonghwa explains. 

Hongjoong chuckles, and he snuggles his face into the crook of Seonghwa’s neck, making him giggle since Hongjoong’s hair tickles his neck. “I actually already bought your gown and cap.”

“You what?!”

“I was going to tell you,” Hongjoong assures, “but you were sleeping. I also didn’t get the chance to do so last night, since we were so sleepy.”

“Oh my god, Kim Hongjoong,” Seonghwa groans. Namjoon’s voice then comes back onto the phone, and Seonghwa quickly grabs it to explain everything to Namjoon. Hongjoong can just hear Namjoon chuckle on the other line, certainly amused. Seonghwa apologizes to Namjoon for making him do more stuff than he already has to do, but Namjoon just assures him it’s okay. They say their goodbyes to each other, before ending the call. “I really hate you, you know.”

“I love you, too, Hwa,” Hongjoong laughs.

Seonghwa rolls his eyes. “Are we going out today?”

“For what?” Hongjoong questions.

“The graduation,” Seonghwa replies. “I’ve been thinking about dying my hair.”

“What color?” Hongjoong inquires, starting to take the plates out.

“Blonde or silver,” Seonghwa says.

“You could dye it both,” Hongjoong says pointedly.

“Wouldn’t that look ugly?” Seonghwa frowns.

“Everything looks pretty on you, Hwa,” Hongjoong says, and he smiles, as he sees Seonghwa turn red.

“F-for real, Hongjoong,” he says. “Silver or blonde?”

“Um…” Hongjoong places the plates down on the dining table, thinking about which hair color Seonghwa would look better in. Finally, Hongjoong says, “Silver.”

Seonghwa nods. “Are you going to dye your hair?”

“Weren’t you the one that  _ begged  _ me, saying you would let me do anything to you in bed if I kept my hair black?” Hongjoong reminds, raising an eyebrow.

“I-I was just asking,” Seonghwa mutters, turning a darker shade of red.

“I think I’ll keep the black for a little while more,” Hongjoong decides. “I kind of like black on me.” Seonghwa stifles a giggle, but Hongjoong already knows what he’s thinking. “You’re nasty, Park Seonghwa.”

“Hey, I’m older than you,” he pouts. 

“You sure act like it,” Hongjoong chuckles, making Seonghwa smack his arm. “I was just kidding. Maybe we should ask the others if they want to go out to get ready for tomorrow.”

“I’ll call them then,” Seonghwa agrees. “But after breakfast.”

\--

The eight end up going to the hair salon to get their hair ready for tomorrow. Seonghwa ends up dying his hair silver, and the others except Hongjoong do something to their hair, too. They continue to hang out for the rest of the day until it starts getting late, and that’s when they all head home. Their graduation would start tomorrow at 4:00 PM, so they don’t have to get up early, and that gives them enough (hopefully) time to get ready. The next morning, Seonghwa unsurprisingly wakes up first. It’s around 8:30 in the morning, so he decides to wake up Hongjoong, too.

“Joong,” Seonghwa says, lightly shaking the ravenette, “Joong, wake up. We need to start getting ready.”

“Ugh, can’t the graduation be here in the house?” he groans, not wanting to wake up.

“No,” Seonghwa chuckles. “Come on. Our parents still want to take pictures of us, and the rest are coming over, too.”

Hongjoong sighs, but he doesn’t get up. Seonghwa just lets him be, knowing he’d start getting ready eventually. Seonghwa does his business, washes his hands, and thoroughly washes his face. He walks out of the bathroom, but that’s when he hears the doorbell ring. Seonghwa spares Hongjoong a warning glance before he walks downstairs to open the door.

“Hi, hyung,” the rest greet, as the door is opened.

“Hey, guys,” Seonghwa greets. “Did you guys bring your stuff?”

“Of course,” Yunho replies. “Is Hongjoong-hyung still asleep?”

“You all know he is,” Seonghwa sighs, closing the door behind them. “What time are your guys’ parents going to be here?”

“I don’t know when, but they’ll be here soon,” Yeosang answers, the others nodding in agreement. “Shall we start getting ready then?”

The others nod again, and they all walk upstairs. Thankfully, Hongjoong is already up, and in the bathroom, so they all start getting ready. Seonghwa gets his gown and cap from the closet and sets it down on his bed. Obviously, they can’t just show up with their gown and cap and wear nothing underneath, so Seonghwa changes into a pinstripe leather suit, before putting his graduation gown on top. They were taught how to put their caps on, but they all need to do their hair and makeup first.

“Wait, shouldn’t we eat breakfast first?” San suddenly says as he notices everyone wearing their gowns already.

“Oh, fuck,” Mingi curses.

“It’s fine, we can just eat donuts,” Wooyoung assures. They then hear a door open, seeing Hongjoong walking out. “Morning, hyung.”

“Morning,” he returns. “Have you guys eaten breakfast yet?”

“No,” Jongho replies. “I’ll go tell my mom if she can bring us some donuts and coffee.”

“Start getting ready, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa tells him. “We have to leave soon.”

“I know,” he sighs. 

“Can you guys believe we’re going to graduate from  _ school  _ today?” Yunho says, smiling brightly as if he was a child who had just gotten ice cream.

“San still needs to go to school, though,” Yeosang teases, and San glares at him.

“Shut up,” San grumbles.

“The years went by fast,” Mingi muses, tears filling up in his eyes. “I’m glad I can spend this day with you guys.”

Wooyoung sniffles and he tries to not make any of his tears fall, as he does his makeup. “M-Mingi, don’t make me cry.”

“S-sorry,” he apologizes, sniffling as well.

“Bring it in, guys,” Hongjoong says, and they all smile, as they engulf each other into a group hug. “I love you all,” he says, as they pull away.

“We love you,” the rest return, and they end up hugging each other one by one, Seonghwa, Mingi, and Wooyoung starting to cry. They quickly wipe their tears away, not wanting to ruin their makeup. They soon hear the doorbell ring, so Seonghwa goes downstairs to go answer the door, smiling as he sees his and the rest’s parents.

“Hey, guys,” he greets.

“Oh, my baby,” his mom sobs, bringing him into a hug. “O-oh, my baby’s all grown up. Y-you’re graduating today from  _ university _ , oh my god. P-Park, can you believe this?”

“Our baby boy is all grown up,” his dad agrees, sniffling.

“I’m still your son,” Seonghwa chuckles. “Now let me greet everyone else, and you can hug me all you want.”

Seonghwa’s mom reluctantly lets him go, and Seonghwa thanks her, before going to greet everyone else. 

“Here are the donuts you guys wanted,” Jongho’s mom says, as she hands Seonghwa two boxes.

“Thank you,” he tells her, bowing. “I think we’ll be ready soon. Would you guys like anything to eat or drink?”

“No, thank you,” Hongjoong’s mom replies. “By the way, Seonghwa, you look beautiful.”

Seonghwa smiles. “Th-thanks, Jin-joo. Now, if you guys excuse me, I’ll continue getting ready.” The others just nod, and Seonghwa walks upstairs. He walks into his and Hongjoong’s room, seeing Yunho doing Hongjoong’s hair, as well as Jongho to Yeosang, Mingi is doing his own hair, and San and Wooyoung are doing their makeup. “The donuts arrived,” he announces, holding the boxes up.

“Food!” Yunho cheers, and he eagerly grabs the box, opening it.

“Our parents are waiting for us downstairs, so we should hurry,” Seonghwa reminds, and the rest nod, continuing to get ready. It takes a while, but two hours later, they’re all ready. They’ve got their hair and makeup done, and are already wearing their gowns and caps. They walk downstairs, and immediately, they can hear their parents—mostly their moms—starting to cry.

“You guys look so handsome,” Yunho’s dad compliments. 

“Thanks, Dad,” Yunho says, smiling.

“Now huddle together for the photos,” Yunho’s mom says, holding the camera.

They take multiple photos and are thankfully done 17 minutes later. When they’re done taking the pictures, they walk outside and get inside the cars to drive toward the university. When they arrive, they can see other people already there, too, so they say bye to their parents to get ready for the ceremony.

\--

Finally, when the clock strikes 3:50 PM, the guests are told to sit down, and ten minutes later, the graduates step out. One by one, they sit down in their assigned seats and wait patiently until the ceremony starts. The Chancellor stands on the podium, thanks the guests for coming before the ceremony starts. 

“Now, if you can all please join me to stand to the procession,” she says, and everyone stands up. When the song is over, they all sit back down. The Chancellor then gives a few students honorary degrees for their hard work, and Hongjoong is one of them. He can hear his mom cheering for him, as he walks to the podium to receive his award. He smiles and thanks the Chancellor, before heading back toward his seat, holding the award tightly, not believing he got this award. “Now it is time for the awards, or degrees if you prefer. First up, is Ava Allan…” The Chancellor calls out more names before she finally calls out, “Choi Jongho.”

Jongho stands up, and his friends and family cheer for him, as he goes to collect his award. This is it. This is the start of his life.

Not long after, the Chancellor calls out San’s name. The male proudly stands up, and he can hear his friends and family whoop and cheer for him, as he goes to collect his award. San knows he still needs to go to medical school, and possibly other schools to become a doctor, but for now, it’s the start of his journey.

Then, the Chancellor calls out Yunho’s name. He walks toward the podium, and he bows and shakes hand with the Chancellor, before grabbing his award. He feels tears starting to fill up in his eyes, but he holds them back, as he walks back toward his seat.

Next, it’s Wooyoung’s turn. The Chancellor calls out his name, and only his friends cheer for him. The only family he has in South Korea are his parents, but they disowned him when they found out his sexuality. It took Wooyoung some time, but finally, he got used to it. He realized he doesn’t need his parents, and they never really did love him anyway. They always told him he would never achieve his dreams, but yet, here he is, grabbing his degree to become a singer, and already pursuing his dreams.

“Kim Hongjoong,” the Chancellor says, and immediately, people cheer for Hongjoong. He was popular in university, especially in his old fuckboy days, but people still love him. He smiles, feeling a tear roll down his cheek, but he wipes it away, as he goes to collect his award. All the years he spent in his room, all the blood, sweat, and tears he poured into his work finally pays off, and he is pursuing his dreams, too.

After Hongjoong, it’s Seonghwa’s turn. The Chancellor says his name, and his friends and family cheer for him, too. He can see Mark, Jackson, Namjoon, Jin, Yoongi, Hosoek, Taehyung, and Jeongguk clapping for him. Seonghwa smiles at them, as he goes to collect his award. He’s the only one so far who’s let his tears fall so far. He thanks the Chancellor, shakes hands with her, bows to her, before going back to his seat. He did it.

Lastly, it’s Mingi’s turn. His last name starts with an S, so it takes a while for the Chancellor to get to him, but she soon does. She calls out his name, and Mingi stands up. He lets his tears fall, too, and grabs his award from the Chancellor, thanking her, shaking hands with her, and bowing to her. He walks back toward his seat and doesn’t bother wiping away his tears. 

Finally, after every name is called, the seniors throw their caps in the air. Honestly, only the Ph.D. and DSc students can only do it, but some just can’t help it. The Chancellor doesn’t seem to have a problem with it, and she just smiles.

“Congratulations, all graduates,” she says. “You have graduated with from university, and have earned your degrees with appreciated hard work. Now you will start a true adult life, possibly get married, and have kids, so good luck to all of you. Congratulations!”

Everyone cheers again, and they are soon let out of the building. The eight meet up with each other, and once they see each other, they can’t help but break down. Even Jongho, who’s always acting all macho, but he eventually breaks down and engulfs the others into a hug, too.

“W-we did it, guys,” Hongjoong says. “We  _ graduated  _ from university.”

“W-we did,” Seonghwa agrees. 

“I-it’s only a matter time before we get married, have kids, grow old, and have grandchildren,” Yunho adds.

“The years did pass by,” San says, sniffling.

“Shall we call it in?” Mingi asks, and they all know what he means since he’s holding out his foot.

The others nod, and they bring their feet in, too, making a circle, before yelling, “Eight makes one team!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ateez’s comeback killed me. anyway, go stream “inception” :)


	6. Jobs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is after they graduated.

Around five months after the eight’s graduation, they’re already looking for jobs. Well, San still needs to go to medical school, but he’s already looking for hospitals where can work at. Seonghwa just needs to write a book, and find an editor, but he still needs to look for a publishing company that’s willing to publish his book. All Hongjoong, Yunho, Yeosang, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho need to do is search for jobs, show them their degrees, get an interview, and hopefully get hired.

“Does KQ sound like a good company to work for?” Hongjoong mutters as he and Seonghwa are sitting at their kitchen table.

“Hongjoong, why are you worrying about that right now?” he sighs. “Eat first, and then maybe you can worry about that.”

“I know,” Hongjoong groans. “It’s just…it’s been  _ five months  _ since we graduated. You think by now we might have jobs, but we don’t.”

“Hey, a lot of people don’t get jobs until a year after they graduate,” Seonghwa says pointedly. “Don’t stress about it too much, Joong.”

“I just need to find a company to work for,” he mutters, pushing his raven hair out of his eyes. “Hey, what if I start my own company?”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Seonghwa says. “Now eat.”

Hongjoong quickly types something on his laptop, and Seonghwa shoots him a warning glance. Hongjoong sends him a sheepish smile, before putting his laptop away, and starting to eat.

\--

“You’ve heard of KQ Entertainment, too?” Mingi asks as Hongjoong lets the rest of them inside his and Seonghwa’s house.

“Yes,” Hongjoong replies. “I’ve been thinking about applying there, and show them a few of my songs, but I’m not so sure yet. I’ve also been starting my own company.”

“How would you do that?” Yunho questions.

“To be honest, I don’t know,” Hongjoong admits. “But it’s just an idea. Though it does sound like a lot of work to own a company, and I refused to become the CEO of my mother’s company for a reason.”

“Just show them a few of your songs,” Yeosang suggests, shrugging, as he slumps down on the couch. “They’re amazing, hyung.”

“Yeah,” San agrees. “Show them ‘Answer’ and ‘Inception’ first.”

“‘Inception’s a new song,” Hongjoong reminds. “I still need to work on it.”

“Then show them some of your old songs,” Mingi says. “Like, ‘Wave’ and ‘Illusion’.”

“Alright,” Hongjoong mutters. “Thanks.”

“Where’s Seonghwa-hyung?” Wooyoung inquires, as he finally realizes the oldest isn’t here.

“He went to the store to get a few things,” Hongjoong explains. “Have you guys gotten any jobs yet?”

“No,” Jongho sighs. “I’ve applied to a few, but none of them have replied yet.”

“Finding a job is so hard,” Yunho groans.

“I wish money grew from trees,” Yeosang adds.

“If it was that easy, I think the world would be in chaos,” Hongjoong chuckles. “Are you guys hungry? Need a drink or anything?”

“Isn’t that why Seonghwa-hyung’s at the store?” San says pointedly.

“I’m just asking, Choi,” Hongjoong frowns, making San send him a sheepish smile.

“No, we’re fine,” Mingi replies. “Thanks, hyung.”

The seven continue to talk until Seonghwa arrives around 13 minutes later. He has a few bags in his hands, and Hongjoong and Wooyoung quickly get up to go help him. They set the bags down in the kitchen, where the other five follow in behind them.

“What did you bring, hyung?” Wooyoung asks.

“Food,” Seonghwa answers. “You guys are hungry, right?”

“Starving,” Jongho mutters.

“We literally ate before coming here, babe,” Yeosang reminds.

Jongho smiles sheepishly at his boyfriend. “I’m still hungry, Sangie.”

Yeosang just sighs, shaking his head. Seonghwa starts cooking, and the others occasionally help him, but they all sit down except for Seonghwa who’s cooking.

“Ooh, I forgot to tell you guys something,” he says.

“What?” Yunho questions.

“I found a publishing company,” Seonghwa says excitedly. “They’re not far from here, and one of the people that worked there gave me their business card after I explained to them that I wanted to be an author.”

“How did you guys meet?” Hongjoong inquires, raising an eyebrow.

“He saw I was buying papers for the printer, so he asked if I ever thought about becoming an author,” Seonghwa explains. “Why?”

Hongjoong shrugs. “Just asking.”

“Are you  _ jealous _ , hyung?” Yeosang says teasingly.

“Why would I be?” Hongjoong says pointedly. “Seonghwa just met someone that possibly gave him his whole career. Why would I be jealous of that?”

“You’ve been jealous about things like these,” he reminds.

Hongjoong rolls his eyes. “Yeah, but I’m not jealous of this. I’m happy for you, Hwa.”

Seonghwa smiles. “Thanks, Joong.”

“So are you going to let them publish your book?” San queries.

“Maybe,” Seonghwa says. “I still need to look them up in case they’re fake. I don’t want to be scammed, you know?”

“Have you finished your book yet anyway, hyung?” Mingi asks.

“It’s almost finished,” Seonghwa replies. “I just need to fix a few things. Ugh, that reminds me. I still need to find an editor.”

“Doesn’t the company usually do that for you?” Jongho questions.

“Yes, but I want to find my own,” Seonghwa says. “Do you guys know anyone who’s an editor for books?”

“Um…I think Jeongguk is an editor,” Hongjoong says. 

“Isn’t he a dancer?” Yunho inquires.

“Being an editor is his other job,” Hongjoong explains. “You still have his phone number, right?”

“Yeah,” Seonghwa answers. “Maybe we can hang out with them again. It’d be nice to see them.”

“It would,” Yeosang agrees. “Do you guys think they’ve forgotten about… _ him _ ?”

“I don’t think so,” San says, and it’s obvious how tense he looks. But Seonghwa looks tenser than the rest of them. “None of us have forgotten about that son of a bitch.”

“Thankfully he’s still in prison, and in New York,” Mingi mutters.

“What are you making, hyung?” Wooyoung inquires, trying to change the subject, noticing how uncomfortable Seonghwa’s getting. 

“B-bibimbap,” he responds. “I don’t mind if you guys talk about…Jimin, you know.”

“We…know, but we also know that it makes you uncomfortable,” Jongho says. “Sorry for bringing it up, hyung.”

“It’s fine,” Seonghwa assures. 

\--

The days pass by, and Hongjoong gets more and more stressed whether he should work at KQ Entertainment or not. He’s talked with Mingi and Wooyoung since the two also want to work at the same company, and they all agree on working together. Hongjoong decides to make the first move, and see if KQ Entertainment is looking for any new producers, dancers, rappers, or singers.

“Are you sure I look good?” Hongjoong asks doubtfully, as he looks at himself in the mirror. He made an appointment the other day for today at 3:00 PM, and it is currently 2:20. He had made Seonghwa get up early—like at five in the morning—to start making breakfast. Seonghwa didn’t want to, but he still got up to make Hongjoong his breakfast. Speaking of which, Hongjoong had changed into a white shirt that says Ralph Lauren on it tucked into black trousers, puffed out a little, a black blazer on top, with a colorful tied bandana around his neck. He has some light makeup on, fixed his hair a little, but yet, he still doesn’t think he looks good enough for his interview.

“Joong, for the hundredth time, you look amazing,” Seonghwa repeats. “Hell, I would get on my knees if we had enough time.”

“We don’t,” Hongjoong mumbles, but he’s a bit intrigued. “It can happen after I go home. Should I go now?”

“It’s almost 2:30,” Seonghwa reminds. “You should.”

“Okay,” Hongjoong murmurs, and he starts gathering his stuff. He places his laptop in his new satchel—it would look unprofessional, if he just showed up without a satchel—and stuffs the rest of his things in it, too. Once he’s done, he hears Seonghwa let out a sneeze, which surprises Hongjoong, since it’s the fourth sneeze he’s let out in an hour. “Are you sure you’re okay, Hwa?”

“I-I’m fine,” he replies, sniffling. He then sneezes again. “Ugh, I think I might be coming down with a cold.”

Hongjoong chuckles, and he kisses Seonghwa’s forehead. “Lay in bed then. I’ll be home to take care of you.”

“Y-you don’t have to, Joong,” Seonghwa assures.

“Are you crazy?” Hongjoong asks. “Of course I am! It’s my duty as your boyfriend.”

Seonghwa rolls his eyes. “If you say so. Now hurry up, before you’re late.” Hongjoong nods, and he engulfs Seonghwa into a sweet and quick kiss, before pulling away. Seonghwa looks at him with a frown. “Why did you do that? You’re going to get sick.”

“I wanted my good luck and goodbye kiss,” he explains with a sheepish smile. “I’ll be back soon, Hwa. You better lay your sweet and fine ass down on the bed, and rest, got it?”

“Yes, dad,” he says sarcastically.

“Okay, I really have to leave now,” Hongjoong mutters. “Bye, Hwa.”

“Bye,” he returns. “Good luck.”

Hongjoong smiles at him as a thank you, before finally leaving their room, and leaving their house soon. He gets inside his car, and turns it on, before he starts driving toward KQ Entertainment, trying to calm down his nerves.

\--

When Hongjoong arrives, he parks into an empty parking space, and sits there, staring at the building in front of him. The KQ Entertainment building is on top of a 7-Eleven, but Hongjoong is certain he can make them grow a bit famous, at least. Taking a deep breath, Hongjoong finally gets out of the car and walks toward the entrance of the building. He explains his appointment to the receptionist, who then starts to lead him toward the CEO’s office. Once they’re there, the receptionist knocks on the door, and the CEO lets them in.

“H-hello,” Hongjoong greets, bowing. “I’m Kim Hongjoong.”

“Ah, you’re the producer guy, right?” the CEO says, and Hongjoong nods. “Well, come sit down, Hongjoong.” The ravenette does as he’s told, and he sits down on one of the chairs in front of the CEO, trying to not look so nervous. “Why were you interested in such a small company, Hongjoong?”

“Well, I kind of want to make it my goal to make you guys get more fame,” he explains. “I might not be successful, but I can still try, right? I’ve also been looking for a company where I can be a producer and songwriter, and I didn’t have any luck until I found KQ. I get it if you guys don’t accept me, but you guys might be making a big mistake if you guys don’t.”

The CEO nods. “Alright. Can I hear one of your songs?”

“Sure,” Hongjoong allows. He takes his laptop out of his satchel and goes to his song files. He decides to take his friends’ advice, and clicks on “Answer”. The song starts playing, and the CEO seems to enjoy it. “Answer” was the song Hongjoong was having trouble back in his sophomore year of university, but thankfully he was able to fix it. Honestly, he loves both versions, but he decided to use the more recent one.

“I like it,” the CEO says, once the song finishes. “Can I hear more?”

“Sure,” Hongjoong repeats, and the CEO listens to “Inception”, “Utopia”, and “Say My Name”, and thankfully, he seems to like all of them. “S-so?”

“You’re a genius,” the CEO says, making Hongjoong break out into a smile. “Wow. That’s all I have to say. Your songs are  _ amazing _ , Hongjoong. I’d love to have you as one of my producers and songwriters. What do you say?”

Hongjoong’s eyes widen. “A-are you for real?!”

The CEO nods. “I love your work. So?”

“I-I’d love to work here!” Hongjoong says, before clearing his throat. “I-I mean, I would love to work here, sir.”

The CEO chuckles. “Good. I’ll call you later today to give you your schedule.”

“Oh, also, I have a question,” Hongjoong says.

“What is it?”

“Um, my very good friends, Song Mingi and Jung Wooyoung, are also looking for jobs like these,” Hongjoong explains. “Mingi is a rapper, and he’s also a producer and songwriter like me. Wooyoung can dance and sing, and he’s amazing at it.”

“Okay,” the CEO says. “You’re asking if they have an interview, too, right?”

“Yes,” Hongjoong replies.

“Then okay,” the CEO allows. “Can you leave their phone numbers?”

Hongjoong sighs in relief to himself. He nods and writes down Mingi’s and Wooyoung’s number down on the sticky note the CEO hands him. The CEO tells him a few more things, before telling Hongjoong he is free to leave. Hongjoong thanks and bows to him, before happily leaving the building. Now all he has to do is take care of his sick boyfriend at home.

\--

“I’m back,” Hongjoong announces, as he walks into his and Seonghwa’s room. Thankfully, the older is laying down on their bed, wearing his pajamas, eating a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and watching  _ The Powerpuff Girls _ . Hongjoong laughs at his choice of TV show, and Seonghwa pouts at him.

“Y-you’re mean,” Seonghwa whines.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Hongjoong coos, and he presses a soft kiss on Seonghwa’s forehead. “Wow, you’re burning up.”

Seonghwa lets out a sheepish giggle. “S-San may or may not have come earlier, and we may or may not have eaten ice cream.”

Hongjoong tsks, shaking his head. “Park Seonghwa, you know that’s not good for you.”

Seonghwa’s bottom lip quivers, and tears well up in his eyes. “M-m’sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Hongjoong sighs. “Promise you won’t do it again?”

Seonghwa nods. “M-m’promise.”

Hongjoong smiles, and he grabs the TV control, turning the TV off. “Good. Now go to sleep. I’ll join you soon. Did you take a bath?”

“N-no,” Seonghwa replies. “D-did you get the job?”

“I did,” Hongjoong answers.

“Y-yay!” Seonghwa cheers. “C-congrats, Joongie!”

Hongjoong smiles at the Seonghwa’s cuteness. “Thanks, Hwa. Now come on, let’s go take a bath, so you can rest.”

\--

Mingi and Wooyoung soon go to their interview at KQ Entertainment and are thankfully accepted. Seonghwa does look into the publishing company that the guy gave him a business card to, and it turns out they are legit, so Seonghwa turns his book toward them. Thankfully, Jeongguk does agree to become Seonghwa’s editor, so that’s the start of Seonghwa’s career. Yunho then soon gets hired at a school nearby to become a dance teacher, Yeosang gets hired at an organization for his operation skills, and Jongho gets hired at an athletic rehabilitation building. Sadly, none of them have the time to tell each other the exciting news yet. They’ve been too busy to deal with their own things, but when Hongjoong’s birthday strolls around, that’s when they all get together to celebrate it.

“Happy birthday, Joongie,” Seonghwa says, as he notices Hongjoong barely starting to get up.

“Mm, morning,” he greets back. “Come back to bed.”

Seonghwa giggles and he does as he’s told, climbing into his space next to Hongjoong. The ravenette smiles at him and engulfs him into a kiss. Seonghwa happily kisses back, and Hongjoong soon starts to kiss down Seonghwa’s neck, sucking and biting softly on the skin.

“H-Hongjoong, as much as I love what you’re doing right n-now,” Seonghwa says, trying to hold back a moan, “y-your mother is literally downstairs, a-and I don’t think you want her to hear us.”

“She’s downstairs?” Hongjoong hesitantly pulls away, looking a bit surprised.

“Yeah,” Seonghwa replies. “She came here to help me get your birthday ready.”

“Oh,” Hongjoong says. “Are the others here yet?”

“They’ll be here soon,” Seonghwa assures. “Now come on, get up, so you can eat breakfast.”

“Promise we’ll continue this tonight?” Hongjoong asks.

Seonghwa cheeks turn red, but he nods. “Get up.”

Hongjoong sighs, doing as he’s told. He follows behind Seonghwa downstairs, indeed seeing his mom in the kitchen making food.

“Hi, mom,” Hongjoong greets.

His mom turns around with a big smile on her face. “Hongjoong! Oh my god, you’re 22 now! Can you believe that? Oh, my baby’s all grown up.” His mom’s eyes fill with tears, and she lets out a sniffle.

“Mom, you don’t need to cry,” Hongjoong chuckles, and he brings her into a hug.

“I-I’m very emotional, you know that,” she says. “Happy birthday, sweetie.”

Hongjoong smiles. “Thanks, mom.”

The others soon arrive, and they all congratulate Hongjoong, giving him their gifts. Hongjoong thanks them, and throughout the day, his friends and his mom treat him with love, and when they cut the cake, they smother Hongjoong’s face with it. Thankfully, the cake isn’t dry, especially since Seonghwa and Hongjoong’s mom made it. Unfortunately, the said female has to leave soon, and she wishes Hongjoong a happy birthday one last time before she leaves. 

“Can we get the alcohol out now?” Yunho questions.

“We could’ve done it even if my mom was here,” Hongjoong chuckles, “but sure.”

Yunho smiles excitedly, and he walks toward the liquor cabinet. He serves them all their drinks, and Yeosang helps him carry the drinks. They all make a toast on Hongjoong’s birthday, before gulping their drinks down.

Seonghwa makes a disgusted face at the burn caused in his throat, and he places his cup down. “I have an announcement to make.”

Yeosang’s eyes widen. “Are you pregnant, hyung?!”

“Dummy, guys can’t get pregnant,” San chuckles.

“It can happen, though,” Mingi mutters.

Seonghwa rolls his eyes. “I’m not pregnant, guys. I just wanted to say I published my first book.”

“You did?!” the others exclaim.

“Congrats, Hwa!” Hongjoong cheers and he engulfs Seonghwa into a tight hug.

“I got a job, too!” Wooyoung says. “The company Hongjoong-hyung now works at hired me, too.”

“Congrats, Wooyoung!” the rest squeal.

The others then share that they got a job as well, and everyone congratulates each other.

“Look at us, getting jobs and all,” Yeosang says, smiling as he serves himself another drink.

“We’re actually growing up now,” Jongho says. “I can’t believe it.”

“Me, neither,” Hongjoong agrees. “Now I get why my mom cries every time she sees me.”

“I’m proud of us,” Yunho says. “Let’s make a toast to us, yeah?”

The others nod, and if their cups are empty, they serve themselves more. They clink their cups together, before gulping their drinks down. 


	7. Marriage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is two years after the last one-shot.

The years pass by, and the more time Hongjoong and Seonghwa are together, the more Hongjoong thinks he’s ready to get married to Seonghwa, the love of his life. He’s thought about it before, but he hasn’t told anyone yet. But now, they’ve been dating for over three years, and their fourth anniversary will be in just nine months. Hongjoong’s been thinking about proposing to Seonghwa on their anniversary, so that’s how he’s currently sitting in his and Seonghwa’s living room, with Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho sitting in front of him, looking at him expectantly. Seonghwa is at a meeting for his next book right now, so he is out of the house.

“What do you need to tell us, hyung?” Yunho asks.

“Just spit it out,” Yeosang adds, groaning.

“I’ve…” Hongjoong takes a deep breath. He decides to listen to Yeosang, so he says, “I’ve been thinking about asking Seonghwa to marry me.”

_ “What?!”  _ the others immediately exclaim.

“You’re going to marry Seonghwa-hyung?!” San shrieks, his eyes wide as saucers.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Hongjoong corrects. “Sh-should I?”

“Of course!” Mingi yells. “Hyung, you two have been dating for over three years! It’s time you two already get married. But then again, San and Wooyoung have been together for six years, and they haven’t gotten married.”

“Oh my god, Mingi,” Wooyoung mutters, shaking his head.

“Wooyoung-hyung will get the balls to propose to San soon,” Jongho says. “Why do you plan to propose to Seonghwa-hyung, Hongjoong-hyung?”

“Because I love him,” he replies. “As Mingi said, we’ve been together for over three years.”

“I say go for it,” Yunho encourages. “You two love each other very much, and it’s a low,  _ very  _ low percent chance Seonghwa-hyung will say no.”

“You think?” Hongjoong questions, biting his bottom lip worriedly.

“Hyung, you got this,” Yeosang assures. “This is the love of your life we’re talking about. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Like Nike says, ‘Just do it.’”

Hongjoong lets out a small laugh, as well as the rest. That makes him feel a bit better. “O-okay. Thanks for that, Yeosang.”

“You’re welcome,” he says, smiling proudly.

“Have you bought the ring yet?” San inquires.

“Um, no,” Hongjoong answers, a bit sheepishly. “I just wanted to ask you guys and my mom first to see if I should do it or not.”

“Did you ask your mom?” Mingi asks.

“Yeah,” Hongjoong responds.

“What’d she say?” Wooyoung questions.

“She cried for at least an hour before she told me to go for it,” Hongjoong explains, letting out a small chuckle. “Should I really do it, guys?”

“Yes!” they exclaim in unison.

“Man up, hyung,” Jongho adds.

“Alright, I’ll do it,” Hongjoong assures, making the others erupt into cheers.

“Oh, our parents are getting married,” Yunho says, sniffling. “Ah, they do grow up, don’t they?”

“They do,” Yeosang agrees, sniffling as well.

“You guys are weird,” Hongjoong laughs.

“Thank you.” San smiles proudly. “Have you asked Seonghwa’s parents for their son’s hand in marriage?”

“Fuck, I forgot about that,” Hongjoong groans. 

“Do it then,” Mingi says. “You can do it, hyung. I don’t think they’d say no.”

“Alright,” Hongjoong mutters. “All I have to do then is make up an excuse of why I need to talk to Seonghwa’s parents to him.”

“Or you can just lie,” Wooyoung suggests, shrugging.

“Brilliant idea, Wooyoung!” Hongjoong says, and he high fives the younger.

“When are you going to do it?” Jongho asks.

“Hopefully soon,” Hongjoong replies. 

“You got this, hyung,” they all say in unison, bringing him into a hug.

Hongjoong smiles, and he hugs them back. “Thanks, guys.”

\--

Later that day, it’s around 7:33 PM, and Seonghwa is taking a shower. Hongjoong is in their room, watching the TV, but then he remembers Seonghwa isn’t here, and he still needs to ask the older’s parents if they can meet up. Hongjoong makes sure the water is still running, and grabs his phone, dialing Seonghwa’s mom’s phone number. The line rings for a few seconds before it stops.

“Hello?” Seonghwa’s mom says.

“H-hi, Ae-jung,” Hongjoong greets.

“Oh, hi, Hongjoong!” she greets back happily. “Why are you calling? Is everything fine?”

“Everything’s fine,” Hongjoong quickly assures. “I just called you, because I need to talk to you and Do Yoon.”

“About what?” Seonghwa’s mom questions.

“I can’t really explain right now,” Hongjoong answers quietly, since he hears the water turn off. “When are you guys free?”

“We’re free…tomorrow at four,” Seonghwa’s mom responds. “Is everything alright, Hongjoong?”

“Everything’s fine,” he repeats. “Well, I need to leave now. See you tomorrow then, Ae-jung. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” she returns, and Hongjoong hangs up the phone, just in time for Seonghwa to step out of the bathroom, his now blonde hair damp, and wearing just an oversized shirt and red plaid pajama pants.

“Hey,” he addresses. “Whom were you talking to?”

“Yunho,” Hongjoong lies. 

“What did he want?” Seonghwa asks as he climbs into bed next to Hongjoong.

“To bother me,” he sighs. “You know, the usual.”

Seonghwa chuckles, and he snuggles next to Hongjoong. “So what movie are we watching?” Hongjoong lets out a small smirk, and he changes the screen to go to Hulu. He knows Seonghwa’s looking at him suspiciously, so he presses his palm against the older’s eyes. “This better not be a horror movie, Kim Hongjoong.”

“It’s not,” he says, but he’s lying. “Just trust me, Hwa.”

Seonghwa sighs, and he leans back against his pillow. The movie Hongjoong wants to see starts playing, and he uncovers Seonghwa’s eyes, making him glare at him. He gets comfortable next to Hongjoong and soon remembers the popcorn. He walks downstairs and comes back to see the movie starting.

“What movie are we watching?” he questions.

“ _ The Hug _ ,” Hongjoong replies, and he grabs a handful of the popcorn from the bowl.

“That totally doesn’t sound scary,” Seonghwa mutters.

“It won’t be,” Hongjoong assures, and Seonghwa gives him a small frown, but continues to watch the movie. The movie soon starts playing, and Seonghwa grows more suspicious each time the animatronic panda shows up. It gets to the scary part, and Seonghwa lets out a scream, hiding his face into Hongjoong’s shoulder.

“Turnitoffturnitoffturnitoff,” Seonghwa pleads quickly, fisting Hongjoong’s shirt. “Turn it off, Hongjoong.”

The raven-haired male chuckles, and he turns the TV off. “Hwa, are you scared?”

“You bastard,” he grumbles, hitting Hongjoong’s chest. “You know I don’t like scary movies.”

“What you get for scaring me the other day,” he smirks.

“Oh, it’s so on,” Seonghwa says, but he doesn’t pull his face away. “I hate you, you know.”   


“I’m sorry, baby,” Hongjoong coos, and he brings Seonghwa’s face away from his shoulder. Seonghwa’s face has tears rolling down them, and he’s slightly shivering. Hongjoong frowns, and he wipes Seonghwa’s tears away, feeling guilty. “I’m really sorry, Seonghwa.”

“D-don’t do it again,” he mutters.

“I promise,” Hongjoong says, but he can’t help but let out a chuckle. “I love you, baby.”

“I don’t,” Seonghwa huffs.

“Yeah you do,” Hongjoong says, and he wraps his arms around Seonghwa’s waist. “Come on, let’s go to sleep. I’ll be right here with you, and nothing’s going to happen to you.”

“O-okay,” he whispers and tries to fall asleep.

\--

The next morning, Seonghwa wakes up first that Hongjoong. When the ravenette wakes up, he knows Seonghwa’s going to give him the silent treatment, so Hongjoong just laughs. He gets up, does his morning stuff, before walking downstairs to see Seonghwa making breakfast. Even though Seonghwa’s mad at Hongjoong, he still makes breakfast for him, which is sweet.

“Morning,” he greets.

Seonghwa ignores him, continuing to cook.

Hongjoong just chuckles, and he takes out his phone to scroll through it. When he notices Seonghwa’s almost done, he takes out the plates and the forks, so they can eat. Seonghwa serves himself, but he doesn’t serve Hongjoong, too, like he always does. Hongjoong just chuckles, and serves himself, before starting to eat. They eat in silence, and when Seonghwa’s done, he washes his plate, and goes upstairs to change, since he has a meeting later in the day.

Hongjoong laughs at Seonghwa’s behavior, knowing he is still scared from last night. But Hongjoong is sure he’ll make it up to him in nine months.

\--

When 4:00 PM rolls around, Seonghwa is surprisingly still here. Hongjoong guesses his meeting is around six, but he doesn’t mind. Hongjoong starts getting ready to meet Seonghwa’s parents, and when he puts on his shoes in the living room, Seonghwa happens to walk in. Hongjoong knows Seonghwa will ask him where he’s going, whether he’s mad at him or not.

“W-where are you going?” Seonghwa asks.

“To the company,” Hongjoong lies. He looks up at Seonghwa with a small smirk. “I thought you were mad at me.”

“I am,” he huffs, crossing his arms. “I’m just asking where you’re going.”

Hongjoong chuckles, finishing putting on his shoes. He grabs his keys, and, before he leaves, he steals a quick kiss from Seonghwa. He can hear Seonghwa yelling ‘ya, Kim Hongjoong!’ but he doesn’t turn around. He gets into his car and starts driving toward Seonghwa’s parents’ place. Minutes later, he gets there, and walks toward the front door, ringing the doorbell.

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa’s mom says, as she opens the door a few seconds later. “Nice to see you again.”

“Hi, Ae-jung,” Hongjoong greets, hugging Seonghwa’s mom back. 

“Come in, come in,” she allows, and Hongjoong thanks her, walking inside the house. He closes the door behind him and follows Seonghwa’s mom toward the living room. Seonghwa’s dad is there watching TV, but he smiles, as he sees Hongjoong.

“Hi, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa’s dad addresses, standing up.

“Hi, Do Yoon,” Hongjoong returns, and the two shake hands.

“Would you like anything to drink?” Seonghwa’s mom offers as Hongjoong sits down on the other couch her husband is sitting in.

“No, thank you,” Hongjoong denies kindly. 

“So what did you need to talk about, Hongjoong?” Seonghwa’s dad questions.

“Um…” Nerves start to grow in Hongjoong, but he pushes them back down. He doesn’t want to chicken out of this, especially since this is important, and about Seonghwa. “I’ve been thinking…” 

“About…?” Seonghwa’s mom looks at Hongjoong in confusion.

Hongjoong takes a deep breath, letting it out, before saying, “I’ve been thinking about…proposing to Seonghwa.”

It takes the said male’s parents a few moments to digest what Hongjoong has said before their eyes widen.  _ “W-what?!” _

Hongjoong bites his bottom lip in worry. “I-it’s too fast, huh?”

“No!” Seonghwa’s mom exclaims. Tears well up in her eyes, and she covers her mouth in shock. “O-oh my god.”

“C-can you guys give me Seonghwa’s hand in marriage?” Hongjoong finally inquires.

“Of course, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa’s dad allows. “But I have two conditions.”

Hongjoong licks his lips nervously. “W-what are they?”

“First, your proposal better be  _ amazing _ ,” Seonghwa’s dad says, “and second, you better treat my baby boy correctly. If he ends up hurt, because of you, you’re dead. Got it?”

There’s a deadly sweet smile on Seonghwa’s dad’s face that sends a shiver down Hongjoong’s spine, but he nods. “I-I promise I won’t hurt him, s-sir.”

“Oh, that’s great, Hongjoong!” Seonghwa’s mom squeals, tears rolling down her face. Her arms are extended out, so Hongjoong hugs her, feeling her hug him back tightly. “You’re going to be our future son in law! Can you believe that, Do?!”

“I can,” he chuckles, standing up. “We give you Seonghwa’s hand in marriage, Hongjoong.”

Relief washes over the ravenette. “Th-thank you. Thank you!”

“Have you bought the ring yet?” Seonghwa’s mom asks.

“No,” Hongjoong replies. “I plan on proposing to him on our fourth anniversary.”

“Oh, that’s amazing,” Seonghwa’s dad says. “When you go ring shopping, bring Ae-jung as well as Yeosang, San, and Mingi. The four of them will know which ring will suit Seonghwa.”

“Okay,” Hongjoong agrees. He then bows. “Thank you for giving me Seonghwa’s hand in marriage.”

“You’re welcome, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa’s mom says, before engulfing him into a hug again.

\--

The months pass by, and Seonghwa still has no suspicion that Hongjoong is planning on proposing to him. Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, nor Jongho tell Seonghwa, either, because they know Hongjoong will kill them if they did. Two weeks before Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s anniversary, Hongjoong indeed goes ring shopping with Seonghwa’s mom, Yeosang, San, and Mingi. Hongjoong ends up buying a white gold engagement ring. He gets a red velvet box to put it in, and when he comes home, Seonghwa thankfully isn’t there, so Hongjoong hides it in the closet Seonghwa doesn’t ever look in. The days pass by, and now it is the day of Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s anniversary. Seonghwa would be out later, because of his job, but that would give Hongjoong an opportunity to get everything ready. He just needs to be fast. 

Surprisingly, this morning, Hongjoong wakes up first. Seonghwa is still cuddled up by his side, breathing in and out peacefully. His pink lips are in a small pout, and his cheeks are a bit puffed out. Hongjoong smiles softly, and he starts pressing chaste soft kisses on Seonghwa’s neck, trying to wake him up.

“Baby, wake up,” Hongjoong coos. “You need to get ready for your job thing.”

“No…” Seonghwa whines, and he snuggles more to Hongjoong’s side.

“We can cuddle later,” he promises. “For now you have to get ready.”

“Do I have to?” Seonghwa groans, his eyes opening.

“Mhm,” Hongjoong replies, and he presses a soft kiss on Seonghwa’s lips. “Happy anniversary, Hwa.”

Seonghwa’s eyes widen. “It’s our anniversary?!”

Hongjoong chuckles. “Yeah. I’m surprised you didn’t remember.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Joong,” Seonghwa frowns. “I didn’t make you your anniversary breakfast.”

“It’s fine, Hwa,” Hongjoong assures. “Just get up, and start getting ready. You don’t want to be late, do you?”

Seonghwa shakes his head, but, before he gets up, he engulfs Hongjoong into a kiss that soon starts to escalate. Seonghwa places his thighs on each side of Hongjoong’s, straddling him. Hongjoong slides his hand underneath Seonghwa’s shirt, about to pull it off, forgetting about their plans today, when a phone starts to ring.

“Damn it,” Seonghwa curses, making Hongjoong chuckle.

“Is it your phone?” he asks, as he starts to search whom’s phone is ringing.

“I think it is,” Seonghwa replies, and he gets off Hongjoong to grab his pants from the floor. Seonghwa takes out his phone, groaning once he sees the caller ID. With that, Hongjoong knows it’s Seonghwa’s job calling him, and Seonghwa answers the call, disappearing into the bedroom. Taking the chance that Seonghwa is gone, Hongjoong grabs his phone and goes to his and the others’ group chat. (The one without Seonghwa of course.)

**hongjoong:** **  
** what time r u guys coming

**yunho:** **  
** that sounds wrong

**yeosang:** **  
** lmaoooo yunho

**hongjoong:** **  
** guys focus

**san:** **  
** right

**san:** **  
** is hyung going to leave the house

**hongjoong:** **  
** yeah. he has a thing at work. we just have to be quick bc idk what time he’ll come back home

**mingi:** **  
** bet

**wooyoung:** **  
** text us when hyung is gone so we can start preparing everything

**hongjoong:** **  
** ok. see you guys later then

**jongho:** **  
** bye hyung

Hongjoong puts his phone away, and he’s just in time for Seonghwa to come out of the bathroom. 

“Are you going to leave now?” Hongjoong asks.

“Yeah,” Seonghwa sighs. “I’m sorry, Joong. I tried to tell them I can’t come today, but they said I  _ have  _ to come. I promise I’ll make it up to you twice tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Hongjoong says, and Seonghwa looks a bit surprised.

“You’re okay with it?” he questions.

Hongjoong shrugs. “No, but I understand. Do you know what time you’re coming back?”

“Eight or nine,” Seonghwa replies. “Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

“Yes, Hwa,” Hongjoong chuckles. “Now go, before you’re late. Love you.”

Seonghwa smiles, and he presses a soft kiss on Hongjoong’s lips. “Love you, too, Joong. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Okay,” he says, and he and Seonghwa smile at each other before Seonghwa leaves. Hongjoong makes sure he can hear Seonghwa’s car turn on, and drive away, before he takes out his phone to send a message to the others, telling them to come over now.

\--

“I’m sorry you had to come today on your anniversary, Seonghwa,” Jeongguk says, as he and Seonghwa walk toward the parking lot. It is around 8:11 PM, and their thing at work has just finished. Since Jeongguk is Seonghwa’s editor, they always have to attend things like these together, but they don’t mind.

“It’s fine,” Seonghwa assures. “How’s Taehyung been doing? You guys got engaged, right?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk confirms, a small smile on his face. “By the way, you’re already invited to the wedding.”

Seonghwa chuckles. “You’re invited to my wedding, too, in advance then.”

“Speaking of which, have you and Hongjoong talked about getting married yet?” Jeongguk asks.

“Now that I think of it, no,” Seonghwa replies. 

Jeongguk’s eyes slightly widen. “You guys have been together for four years. Today marks the fourth year. Do you want to get married, though, Seonghwa?”

“I do,” he answers. “Especially to Hongjoong. He’s the love of my life, you know.”

“I do,” Jeongguk says, smiling. “Speaking of which, I’m…still sorry for what  _ he  _ did to you six years ago.”

“It’s fine, hyung,” Seonghwa reassures. “It’s been six years, as you said. I’m over it.”

“That’s good,” Jeongguk says. “Well, sorry again you had to come here instead of spending it with Hongjoong. See you later, Seonghwa.”

“Bye, hyung,” he returns, waving as Jeongguk walks toward his car. Seonghwa sighs, and he gets inside his car, not knowing what waits for him at home. He starts driving back toward his house and is surprised to see Yunho’s car there, too. But Seonghwa doesn’t mind, and parks his car, before getting out of it. He locks the car, and walks toward the front door, unlocking it, before stepping inside. However, once he’s inside, and he closes the door behind him, he drops the keys he’s holding, his mouth falling open.

The house’s lights are off, only fairy lights and candles lighting up the place. The candles are leading the way, along with red rose petals dropped around them. The petals and candles lead up all the way toward the stairs, and Seonghwa can see light in his and Hongjoong’s room. Seonghwa doesn’t know what this is, and he doesn’t have a guess, either.

Nerves grow in Seonghwa, and he places his stuff down by the door. He starts following where the petals and the candles lead him to, walking up the stairs, the steps filled with red rose petals as well, and Seonghwa soon lands in his and Hongjoong’s room. Once he walks inside, he gasps, as soon as he sees Hongjoong wearing a black shirt tucked into black trousers, a black blazer on top. The blazer has gold strings on the right side, and on the cuffs, too. Hongjoong’s newly dyed pink hair is slicked back, parted to the sides, and there’s a light reddish brown eyeshadow around his eyes. He’s standing in the middle of the petals forming a heart shape, and he’s holding something in his hands that Seonghwa can’t quite see.

“Hey,” Hongjoong greets. “You’re home.”

“H-hey,” Seonghwa greets back. “W-what’s all this?”

“Come here,” Hongjoong softly says, instead of answering Seonghwa’s question.  Seonghwa wants to ask so many more questions, but he pushes them to the back of his head, grabbing Hongjoong’s hand. Seonghwa is careful about the rose petals, and he stands in the middle of them with Hongjoong. “I love you, you know that, right?”

“I-I do,” Seonghwa replies, a soft smile on his face. “I love you, too, Hongjoong.”

“Enough to marry me?” he asks, opening the box he is holding, showing the engagement ring in it. Seonghwa gasps, and his eyes widen, as he sees the ring. It probably costs a fortune, but Hongjoong probably didn’t have a problem buying it. Tears fill Seonghwa’s eyes, and he lets a few fall. Hongjoong has tears in his eyes, too, and he gets down on one knee. He grabs Seonghwa’s hand and presses a soft kiss on Seonghwa’s hand. “Park Seonghwa, we’ve been through so much together. We were friends first, then fuckbuddies, then friends again, and then I was your boyfriend. These last four years I’ve been with you have been the happiest of my life. I…know I’ve made a few mistakes in the past, but you’re a  _ wonderful  _ person and forgave me. You love me with all your heart and being, and I love you with all my heart and being, too. So…will you make me the happiest man on Earth, and marry me?”

Seonghwa lets out a sob, and he nods, covering his mouth out of shock and happiness. “Y-yes! Of course, I’ll marry you, Kim Hongjoong!”

The pinkette smiles, and he slides the ring on Seonghwa’s finger. The older immediately pulls Hongjoong up and slams their lips together. Hongjoong immediately kisses back, wrapping his arms around his waist, Seonghwa doing the same to his neck. When they need oxygen, they pull away, resting their foreheads against each other.

“I think I got everything,” a familiar voice says.

“Shh, pabo, they’re going to hear you.”

“They’re going to hear you, too, Yeosang.”

“G-guys?” Seonghwa calls out, sniffling.

Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho then appear from the right side of the bed, sheepish smiles on their faces. “Hi…”

Mingi squeals and he claps his hands excitedly. “Hyungs are getting married!”

“Yay!” the rest cheer.

“Congrats, hyungs,” Wooyoung says, a huge smile on his face. “When’s the wedding?”

“Wooyoung, we barely got engaged,” Hongjoong reminds. “Did you guys catch everything on tape?”

“Yup,” Jongho assures. “I think we even got Seonghwa entering the house on tape.”   


“Creeps,” he mutters.

“Thank you.” Yunho proudly smiles. “Ah, I just can’t believe our parents are finally going to get married!”

“Yay!” the rest cheer again, and they all engulf each other into a group hug, making Hongjoong and Seonghwa join. 

\--

As the months pass by, Hongjoong and Seonghwa decide to get married on December 31st. Sure, it’s New Year’s, and they might have two things to celebrate on that day, but they want to get married as soon as possible. Thankfully, they have the help of their friends and family to hurry up the planning process. They invite their family and friends, including Namjoon and the other five. The more the days pass by, the more everyone gets excited, because Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s wedding day will be here soon.

Currently, the Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s mom are at their sons’ place and it’s 9:52 PM. The four are sitting in the living room. It just happens to be the day before Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s wedding day.

“How about you guys stay in different places tonight?” Seonghwa’s mom suggests. “It’s bad luck if the groom sees the ‘bride’ before the wedding.”

“What do you think, Hwa?” Hongjoong asks. 

Seonghwa shrugs. “I don’t really mind.”

“Then okay,” Hongjoong agrees. “We’ll do it then.”

“Yay,” Hongjoong’s mom squeals. “So, Hongjoong, you’ll be staying with me, and Seonghwa, you’ll be staying here.”

“Okay,” he says. “Is everything else ready?”

“Yes,” his mom assures. “All you guys have to worry about is being there, and remembering your vows. Have you guys remembered them yet?”

“I have,” Seonghwa replies.

“I’m still working on mine,” Hongjoong says sheepishly.

“You better work on it, Kim Hongjoong,” his mom warns, making him gulp. “Well, we better leave now if we want to get up and early tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to leave Hwa just yet,” Hongjoong frowns, leaning against the older’s shoulder.

“We’ll see each other tomorrow, Joong,” he chuckles, brushing Hongjoong’s pink bangs back. “It’s not like we’re not going to ever see each other again.”

“It might happen,” he says pointedly.

“You’ll guys see each other tomorrow,” Seonghwa’s mom assures. “Now say your goodbyes, so you two can start getting ready to go to sleep.”

“Can you guys give us some privacy?” Hongjoong asks.

His and Seonghwa’s mom nod, leaving them alone.

“I’ll miss you, Joongie,” Seonghwa pouts.

“I’ll miss you, too, Hwa,” Hongjoong returns, and he pecks Seonghwa’s lips. “Look beautiful for me tomorrow, yeah?”

“I will,” he promises. “You better look handsome for me then.”

“I will,” Hongjoong promises this time. He engulfs Seonghwa into a kiss, and the blonde happily kisses back. They pull away a few seconds later and smile at each other. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Hwa.”

“Bye, Joongie,” he says, and Hongjoong kisses his forehead, before getting up. 

“Mom, let’s go!” he calls out.

“You ready?” his mom questions.

“Yeah,” Hongjoong replies. “Goodnight, Ae-jung.”

“Goodnight, Hongjoong,” she returns. “Goodnight to you, too, Jin-joo.”

“Goodnight,” she says, and she waves bye at Seonghwa and his mom, before Hongjoong’s mom and the pinkette leave.

“You better go to sleep now, Seonghwa,” his mom reminds. “You have a full day of yourself tomorrow.”

“I know,” he sighs. Seonghwa gets up, a small smile on his face. “I’m getting married tomorrow, mom.”

“You are,” she agrees. “My baby boy’s all grown up.”

Seonghwa smiles, and he kisses his mom on the cheek goodnight, before heading toward his room to sleep.

\--

The next day, Yeosang, San, and Mingi are already there by the time Seonghwa wakes up. He’s a bit surprised that there are people in his room, but he’s not really surprised that it’s the three.

“Hyung, get up!” Yeosang says. “You’re getting married today!”

A sleepy smile appears on Seonghwa’s smile, and he stretches his arms and limbs. “I am getting married today, huh?”

“Yeah, you are!” San squeals. “Now get that fine ass of yours up! The hair and makeup stylists are already here, and your parents are getting ready.”

“Okay,” Seonghwa sighs, getting up. He walks toward the bathroom to do his business, and wash his hands and face. He gets out and changes into his tux. It’s white, whilst Hongjoong’s is black. 

“Oh, you already look so beautiful, hyung,” Mingi says, sniffling. 

Seonghwa giggles. “Thanks, Mingi. Where are your guys’ tuxes?”

“Oh, yeah,” Yeosang mutters, and he walks toward Seonghwa’s closet to grab his, San’s, and Mingi’s tuxes. The four then continue to get ready, Seonghwa eating donuts as his breakfast to not dirty his suit. The makeup and hair stylists soon do his hair, splitting his hair to the sides, his bangs falling in his eyes, whilst there’s light pink eyeshadow on his eyelids, along with liquid eyeliner and mascara, and he has a light coat of nude lipstick on his lips. Yeosang, San, and Mingi are soon ready, too, so when they’re all ready, they get inside the limo and start driving toward the rose court garden: the place the ceremony is going to take place.

\--

“Have you memorized your vows yet, hyung?” Yunho asks as he walks inside the room where Hongjoong is.

“I’m trying to,” he mutters, whispering his vows underneath his breath in order to try to memorize them.

“You got this, hyung,” Wooyoung assures, slinging his arm across Hongjoong’s shoulder. “You’re Kim Hongjoong, for god’s sake. Don’t you remember how confident you were back in university?”

“That was the old me, Wooyoung,” he groans.

“Use him again then,” Jongho says. “Use his confidence. That was still you, hyung. You can do this.”

Hongjoong nods, taking a deep breath. “O-okay. Thanks, guys.”

“You’re welcome.” Yunho smiles. “Now come on. The limo’s outside waiting for us.”

\--

When Hongjoong and the other three get at the rose court garden, they can see a few people already there. Hongjoong greets them, thanks them for making it here, before going to his place at the altar. The officiator is already there, too, so the two shake hands. Yunho, Wooyoung, and Jongho go to wait for Yeosang, San, and Mingi since they would be leading each other down the aisle. Hongjoong takes the chance, and he starts memorizing his vows again.

“Don’t worry,” the officiator says, making Hongjoong look at him. “I’ve done many weddings to know that the couple always remembers their vows. You’ll be fine.”

Hongjoong smiles. “Th-thanks.”

The more minutes that pass by, the more nervous Hongjoong gets. He doesn’t know why he’s getting nervous, especially since he’s getting married to Seonghwa,  _ the love of his life _ . Maybe it’s because of all the people that will be watching them, but yet, Hongjoong is glad that they’d witness Hongjoong and Seonghwa getting married.

Finally, the pianist changes the tune, and the best men appear. The flower girl—Seonghwa’s little cousin—appears first, and she drops the petals to the floor, before making her way back to her seat. Yunho and Mingi then walk down the aisle, as well as Jongho and Yeosang, and San and Wooyoung. They each go to their respective places, before Seonghwa and his dad appear.

Seonghwa’s and his dad’s arms are linked, and Seonghwa looks up, meeting eyes with Hongjoong. The younger is wearing almost the same tux as him, but instead of white, it’s black. The future married couple smile at each other, feeling their hearts pound loudly against their rib cage.

“Good luck, sweetie,” Seonghwa’s dad whispers to Seonghwa, as he drops him off by the altar.

“Thanks, Dad,” he whispers back before his dad leaves.

Seonghwa has a bouquet of white roses in his hands, and he looks up at Hongjoong with a smile on his face, the younger doing the same. They know it’s rude to interrupt the officiator whilst they are talking, so they don’t say anything verbally. They soon get to their vows, and Seonghwa goes first. He cries and laughs mostly, but he doesn’t mind. When it’s Hongjoong’s turn, he thankfully remembers his vows, and he cries and laughs along with Seonghwa, too. After a few minutes, the officiator then gets to the question the couple have been waiting for. He asks Seonghwa first.

“Do you, Park Seonghwa, take Kim Hongjoong as your legally wedded husband?”

“I do.”

“Do you, Kim Hongjoong, take Park Seonghwa as your legally wedded husband?”

“I do.”

The officiator smiles, and he takes a small step back. “I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss the groom.”

The crowd erupts into cheers, but all Hongjoong and Seonghwa focus on are each other, as they connect their lips together. Seonghwa wraps his arm around Hongjoong’s neck, the younger doing the same to Seonghwa’s waist. They kiss passionately for a few more moments, forgetting there are other people there until they remember they have a crowd watching them. They soon pull away, smiling at each other with tears in their eyes.

“You are now Kim Seonghwa,” Hongjoong whispers, and Seonghwa realizes he’s right.

“If I’m Kim Seonghwa, then you’re Park Hongjoong,” Seonghwa says.

Hongjoong smiles, and he pecks Seonghwa’s lips. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> would you guys want um...smut ? 👀


	8. Children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is five months after they get married.
> 
> btw, idrk the whole process of adoption. i just know it takes six months to get accepted, so if i get anything wrong, feel free to correct me :)

After the whole wedding reception and ceremony, Hongjoong and Seonghwa go on their honeymoon. They go to Okinawa, Japan, and have an amazing time. They stay there for two weeks, before coming back home. Their friends are family are glad to see them again, and their lives go back to normal. But now they can say that they are married, and have the rings on their fingers to prove it. Hongjoong and Seonghwa are happy in their new relationship status and brag about being married whenever they get the chance to. Yet, somehow, Seonghwa feels like something is missing. Don’t get him wrong, he loves Hongjoong, and would do anything for him, but he feels like they’re missing something in their relationship. And then a few days later, it hits him what he wants.

Seonghwa wants children. Well, to  _ adopt  _ children, since men can’t get pregnant, but he still wants to have children with Hongjoong. The male would be happy with that, right?

“What’s on your mind, Seonghwa?” Jeongguk asks as the two are in Seonghwa’s office.

The blonde snaps out of his trance. “W-what do you mean?”

“You’ve been looking dozed out lately,” Jeongguk explains. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say something’s been on your mind for a time.”

Seonghwa sighs, biting his lower lip. “I’ve been…I’ve been thinking about adopting children with Hongjoong.”

Jeongguk’s eyes widen, but a smile grows onto his face. “Really? That’s nice. How many children do you want to have?”

“Um…” Seonghwa looks down at the wood on his desk, a light red dusting his cheeks. “M-maybe two? To be honest, I don’t really care how many kids I get with Hongjoong. I just know I want to have kids with him.”

Jeongguk nods. “Have you told anyone else?”

“O-only you,” Seonghwa replies.

“I feel honored,” Jeongguk says, sniffling, making Seonghwa giggle. “If you want my advice, I say go for it. Taehyung and I already adopted a little girl, and she’s the best thing we could ever ask for. Although the process of getting accepted to adopt children is a bit of a hassle, it’s worth it. I think you should talk about it with Hongjoong. He’d agree, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Seonghwa answers. “I just can’t help but think he’d say no.”

“He won’t,” Jeongguk assures. “He’s your husband now. Whatever you want, he’ll discuss it with you, but from experience, he’ll say yes. I always say yes to Taehyung to whatever he wants.”

“You’re whipped for him, that’s why,” Seonghwa chuckles.

“I am,” Jeongguk agrees. “Just like Hongjoong’s whipped for you. Just ask him, and he’ll say yes. I promise you he will.”

Seonghwa nods, feeling a bit calmer now. “A-alright. Thanks, hyung.”

Jeongguk smiles. “You’re welcome.”

\--

Later, when Seonghwa’s driving back home, he can’t help but still feel nervous about this want of his. He knows Jeongguk assured him more than three times that Hongjoong will say yes to his idea of adopting children, but deep in his gut, Seonghwa feels like Hongjoong will say no. Seonghwa hasn’t told Yunho nor the rest yet, so maybe he can do it right now. He dials Yunho’s number first, before adding the rest except Hongjoong into a group call.

“H-hey, guys,” Seonghwa greets.

“Hi, hyung,” Yunho greets back. “What’s up?”

“Are you guys busy?” Seonghwa asks, a bit nervously.

“No,” Yeosang assures. “Why are you calling?”

“I’ve…been thinking about something, and I need your guys’ opinion,” Seonghwa says, biting his lower lip.

“Alright,” San says slowly. “What is it?”

“I’ve…been thinking about adopting children.”

“Woah, really?” Mingi sounds surprised.

“Yeah,” Seonghwa replies. “I-is it too fast?”

“No,” Wooyoung quickly says. “Some married couples even get pregnant the day after they get married. Hyung, you and Hongjoong-hyung have been married for five months now. It’s okay for you to think about children now.”

“How many children do you want, hyung?” Jongho questions.

“M-maybe two…?” Seonghwa answers, a bit unsure. “I don’t know yet. I still have to talk with Hongjoong about it. Do you think he’ll be okay with it?”

“Just yesterday we were talking about having kids,” Yunho chuckles. “Trust me, hyung, Hongjoong-hyung’s been wanting kids for a time, too.”

Relief washes over Seonghwa. “Oh, that’s great. So he won’t say no?”

“No, hyung,” Yeosang says. “Besides, even if Hongjoong-hyung didn’t want kids right now, he’d still say yes to you. He’s whipped. He has been ever since you guys met.”

Seonghwa’s face heats up, and he’s sure it’s a bit red. “O-okay. I’ll ask him once he gets home then.”

“Alright,” San says. “You better do it, hyung.”

“I will,” Seonghwa promises. “Thanks for reassuring me, guys.”

“What are friends for?” Mingi chuckles. “Tell us how it goes.”

“I will,” Seonghwa says. “Bye.”

“Bye, hyung,” the rest return and the seven end their call.

Feeling a bit more assured, Seonghwa arrives at his and Hongjoong’s house and starts thinking of a way to bring the subject about adopting kids to Hongjoong.

\--

By the time Hongjoong gets home, it’s around 7:41 PM, and Seonghwa’s sweeping the kitchen floor. He feels his heart start pounding loudly against his rib cage, and he tries to calm it down, trying to push the worrying thoughts to the back of his head.

“H-hey,” he greets. “Why are you back so late?”

“One of the producers was late,” Hongjoong explains. “Sorry. How did your day go, Hwa?”

“It went…fine,” he partially lies. “Are you hungry? I can start making the food right now.”

“Um, okay,” Hongjoong agrees, and Seonghwa places down the sweeper to start making the food. Hongjoong walks toward him, and pecks his lips as a greeting, before starting to untie his tie. “Are you okay, Seonghwa?”

“Why do you ask?” he asks.

“You seem a bit panicked,” Hongjoong explains. “Did everything go well at your job?”

“Yes,” Seonghwa assures. “Something’s been stuck in my mind, that’s all.”

“Want to talk about it?” Hongjoong offers.

_ It’s now or never, Seonghwa _ , he tells himself, before turning around to face Hongjoong. “Yes, I do, actually. Can we sit down?”

Hongjoong nods and he and Seonghwa sit down at the dining table. Seonghwa gets a bit more nervous, but Hongjoong holds his hand. “What is it, Hwa?”

_ It’s now or never.  _ “I’ve been…I’ve been thinking about…adopting children.”

Hongjoong’s grip on Seonghwa’s hand falters, but he doesn’t pull away. “O-oh.”

“I-it’s too fast, right?” Seonghwa frowns. “I’m sorry for bringing it up. I don’t-”

“Okay,” Hongjoong says, and Seonghwa stares at him in confusion.

“Okay what?”

“Let’s adopt children,” Hongjoong says. “I’ve been thinking about it, too, Hwa. I was going to ask you one of these days, but I’m glad you did it first. How many children do you want to adopt?”

“T-two…?” Seonghwa replies, a bit unsure still. “I don’t know for sure, but I do know I want to raise children with you.”

Hongjoong smiles, and he brings Seonghwa in for a kiss. Seonghwa smiles into the kiss, and kisses back, grabbing Hongjoong’s hands that are grabbing his cheeks. They soon pull away after kissing passionately for a few more moments and look into each other’s eyes, tears in Seonghwa’s.

“I’ve been thinking about adopting two children, too,” Hongjoong agrees, and Seonghwa chuckles, wiping his tears away.

“I would adopt all the children if I could,” he says, and Hongjoong laughs.

“I know you would, Hwa,” he says. “That’s what I love about you.”

Seonghwa smiles. “S-so are we actually doing this?”

Hongjoong smiles back, and he grabs Seonghwa’s hands. “We are.”

\--

After talking about it for a bit, Hongjoong and Seonghwa decide to meet up with Taehyung and Jeongguk to talk about adoption. The other couple tells Hongjoong and Seonghwa how the whole process is, and Hongjoong and Seonghwa do have to agree it’s a bit of a hassle. But it’d be worth it if they get to adopt children that they will grow to love. 

They soon tell Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho about their idea of adopting children, and they’re really not that surprised, since Seonghwa told them, but they’re still happy for them. Whilst the eight are together, that’s when Yeosang and Jongho announce that they are engaged.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa then decide to tell their parents after they adopt children. And it’s only  _ if  _ they adopt children. They might not get accepted, so they don’t want to get their parents’ hopes up for nothing. They also then realize they can get a surrogate that can carry one of their babies, but that’s a discussion for later.

They wait for six long months, and they wait eagerly and nervously when it’s the six month. Their letter would come in the mail, but they don’t know when. Currently, Seonghwa is at home, since he thankfully didn’t have to go to work today. He’s cleaning the living room when he hears a sudden knock at the door. He’s a bit confused, but he places the lint roller down and walks toward the door. He checks through the peephole, and gasps when he sees it’s the mailman outside. Seonghwa excitedly opens the door.

“Good morning,” the mailman greets. “Here is your mail today. Have a nice day.”

“Th-thank you, you, too,” Seonghwa returns, and he grabs the mail the male is handing him. The mailman walks away, and Seonghwa closes the door. He eagerly looks through the mail and lets out a loud squeal when he sees an envelope from the adoption center. He quickly gets his phone and dials Hongjoong’s number.

“Hwa?” Hongjoong sounds a bit confused. “Why are you calling?”

“Th-the letter came in today, Joong!” Seonghwa explains. “Th-the letter from the adoption center.”

“Really?!” Hongjoong exclaims, not seeming to believe it.

“Yes!” Seonghwa confirms. “I-I just received the mail right now.”

“O-okay,” Hongjoong says. “I’ll be home soon. Don’t open it until I arrive.”

“I know,” Seonghwa says. “Come quick.”

“I will,” Hongjoong promises before he hangs up. It takes Hongjoong around 20 minutes to get here from KQ Entertainment, so whilst Seonghwa waits, he nervously paces the living room. He soon hears keys jingle by the door 17 minutes later, and the door is soon opened, revealing Hongjoong. “W-where’s the letter?”

“R-right here,” Seonghwa says, and he grabs the envelope. “Do you wanna open it now?” Hongjoong places his stuff down, and he and Seonghwa open the envelope together. They anxiously skim through the letter, and soon read the words ‘Congratulations. You have been accepted for adoption.’ Once they read the words, Seonghwa lets out a sob, and happy tears start rolling down his face. “W-we got accepted, Joongie.”

“We got accepted, Hwa,” he repeats, and the two hug each other. 

“W-we’re going to be parents,” Seonghwa sobs, clenching the fabric of Hongjoong’s shirt.

“We are,” he agrees, and he pulls away, engulfing Seonghwa into a kiss. “We’re going to the adoption center tomorrow, and we’re going to choose our future kids, okay?”

Seonghwa nods, and he hugs Hongjoong again, not believing it.

\--

The next morning, Hongjoong and Seonghwa wake up excitedly. They had called their adoption agent last night to tell her they were accepted, and she told them to come tomorrow at the center at 10:00 AM. Now it is 9:05, and Hongjoong is taking a shower, whilst Seonghwa is changing into a black knitted sweater shirt french tucked into dark grey jeans that have white paint splattered on them, and a black belt tied around the waist. Seonghwa is a bit nervous to go to the adoption center—they both are. But they know they’re going to be adopting their future children, so that gives them a bit of comfort.

They’ve given it a bit of thought, but they decide to adopt babies to toddlers now. They’re not ready to deal with teenagers yet, even though they were teenagers just eight years ago. 

“Joong, you ready?” Seonghwa calls out, finishing his makeup.

“Almost,” Hongjoong calls back, and he steps out of the bathroom a few minutes later.

“We have to leave now,” Seonghwa reminds. “Ready?”

Hongjoong nods. “Do you have everything we need?”

“Yes,” Seonghwa replies, and he holds up the four papers they need. “Come on, let’s go.”

Hongjoong nods again, and he and Seonghwa leave their room, before leaving their house. They grow more nervous by the second, and Hongjoong soon starts driving toward the adoption center. They arrive minutes later and park in an empty parking space.

“We’ll be okay,” Hongjoong assures the both of them, kissing Seonghwa’s knuckles.

“We will be,” he agrees, and he and Hongjoong get out of the car.

They walk toward the entrance, and once they’re inside, they explain why they’re here to the receptionist. She tells them to go sit down at one of the chairs, and that their adoption agent will be here soon. Hongjoong and Seonghwa thank her, and they go sit down.

“Do you think we’ll be able to adopt Aera?” Seonghwa asks as they wait. Aera is the one-year-old girl whom’s parents died in a car crash. By some miracle, she survived, but her little arm is broken. Hongjoong and Seonghwa fell in love with the baby once they laid eyes on her, and immediately wanted to adopt her, but they know they couldn’t just yet. They just hope they will be able to adopt her today, and hopefully, find her a big sister or brother later on.

“Hopefully,” Hongjoong mutters, squeezing Seonghwa’s hand.

“Hey, you two,” their adoption agent says, walking toward them, and extending out her hand. The two shake it, smiling up at her. “Sorry if I kept you guys waiting.”

“You didn’t,” Hongjoong assures.

“Follow me then please,” their agent says, and they both get up to follow behind her. They arrive in her office, and she tells them to sit down. They comply, still holding hands as a way to calm each other down.

“So I’m glad you two received your acceptance letter yesterday,” their agent starts. “You two seem like you would make amazing parents, and from what I hear from the people that suggested you, you guys are already amazing parents to your friend group.”

“We try to be,” Seonghwa chuckles. “So…who are we going to adopt?”

“They’ll be here soon,” their agent assures. She takes out a few pieces of paper and places them in front of Hongjoong and Seonghwa. “Whilst we wait for your future child to get here, can you guys hand me the papers I asked for, and sign here?” Seonghwa hands their agent the papers, and she thanks them. Hongjoong and Seonghwa sign where their agent tells them to, making sure to read what they’re signing, before signing it. When they’re done, they wait anxiously for their future child to arrive, and around seven minutes later, they hear a knock at the door. “Come in,” she allows.

The door opens, and Hongjoong and Seonghwa turn anxiously and eagerly to see who their future child is. But once their eyes land on Aera, a sob escapes Seonghwa’s lips, and he covers his mouth to not let any more sobs come out.

“Ha! Joo!” Aera squeals and she goes to hug them immediately.

“W-we get to adopt her?” Hongjoong asks as he accepts Aera’s hug, hugging her back.

“Yes,” their agent assures. “We talked about it, and we talked with Aera, and she threw a tantrum when she overheard us talking about giving her other parents. I think she fell in love with you guys, too.”

“Ha, Joong, me,” Aera says, patting Seonghwa’s, Hongjoong’s, and her shoulder with her good hand. “No else.”

“No one else then, Aera,” Seonghwa agrees, and he presses a soft kiss on Aera’s forehead.

“Congratulations, you two,” their agent says. “You two are now the parents of Kim Aera.”


	9. Sickness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is like three years after they adopted aera.

A day after Hongjoong and Seonghwa were allowed to take Aera home, they introduce her to Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho. The six immediately fall in love with her, too, and Aera immediately grows a liking to them as well. Then, Hongjoong and Seonghwa introduce Aera to her new grandparents, and even though they are mad that Hongjoong and Seonghwa didn’t tell them that they were thinking about adoption, they are all ecstatic to meet Aera, too. And of course, they fall in love with her, too. When they were going through the process of adoption, Hongjoong and Seonghwa had started to make their future child’s room, and painted it pink, in case they got to adopt Aera. Aera’s room is already ready, and her room is only across Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s room. 

For the next three years, Aera grows to love her adoptive parents, family friends, and her grandparents. Her parents, friends, and grandparents grow to love her, too, and since she’s Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s only child, they spoil her with the most love and treats. Whenever it’s Aera’s birthday, they always spoil her with the most parents, which makes her happy.

Currently, it’s two days after Aera’s fourth birthday, and she is in the dining room waiting for her breakfast, whilst Seonghwa is in the kitchen making it. Hongjoong and Seonghwa had enrolled Aera into preschool not too long ago, and surprisingly she didn’t throw a tantrum and start crying as the other children had. 

“Appa, what is Daddy doing?” she asks as she’s noticing her other dad is taking too long to get down here.

“He’s taking a shower, angel,” Seonghwa explains. “He’ll be down here soon.”

“Why does he always take long?” Aera frowns.

Seonghwa chuckles, shrugging. “Ask him.” Aera just sighs, and Seonghwa soon starts serving the plates. He places down Aera’s bowl in front of her, and she thanks him, before starting to eat. Seonghwa places down the cutlery, before turning his head quickly, and sneezing five times into his elbow.

“Someone’s sick,” a new voice notices, as they walk inside the dining room.

“I’m fine,” Seonghwa says, sniffling. “Are you going to take Aera to school, Joong?”

“What do you think, angel?” he asks, looking down at Aera. “Do you want Daddy or Appa to take you to school?”

“Both!” she says happily.

“You have to choose, angel,” Seonghwa chuckles.

“Um…” Aera looks between Hongjoong and Seonghwa, before finally saying, “Daddy!”

“Good choice,” he whispers, but Seonghwa hears him, rolling his eyes.

“Let’s start eating then,” he says, sitting down. Seonghwa grabs his fork to dig in, but that’s when he gets the urge to sneeze again, and he sneezes five more times into his elbow, before coughing as well.

“Appa, are you okay?” Aera questions, looking at Seonghwa worriedly.

“I’m…fine,” Seonghwa repeats, and he stands up to grab napkins, but starts to feel dizzy. He leans against the counter, so he won’t fall. 

“You are so not fine,” Hongjoong says. He walks over toward Seonghwa, and grabs his arm, pressing his palm against Seonghwa’s forehead. Hongjoong gasps, pulling his hand back. “Hwa, you’re burning up.”

“N-no, I’m not,” he denies.

“Stop being stubborn,” Hongjoong scolds. “You’re coming down with a cold. I think it has something to do with Aera’s birthday.” That is understandable because, for Aera’s birthday, she wanted a water theme party, and luckily enough, Yeosang and Jongho have a pool in their backyard. (Speaking of Jongsang, the two had gotten married two weeks before Hongjoong and Seonghwa adopted Aera.) It was late in the night when the eight had the brilliant idea to push Seonghwa into the pool. That day, Seonghwa was already having to sneeze a lot, but no one knew that, because he didn’t tell them. It was also night, and 62 degrees.

“Is Appa sick, Daddy?” Aera inquires, a small frown on her face.

“We don’t know yet, angel,” Hongjoong replies. “Come on, Hwa. Let’s go to the room. Don’t make me carry you over there.” Seonghwa sighs, knowing he and Hongjoong are too stubborn to fight right now. Seonghwa follows behind Hongjoong, and Aera follows behind them. They soon arrive at Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s bedroom, and Hongjoong takes out Seonghwa’s most comfortable pair of pajamas. “Change into those, and I’ll be back,” he orders.

“W-where are you going?” Seonghwa asks.

“To drop off Aera,” Hongjoong replies. “I’ll be back.”

“Do I really need to go to school when Appa’s sick?” Aera whines.

“Yes,” Hongjoong answers. “You’ll be able to see Appa when you come back from school.”

Aera sighs, but she goes up to Seonghwa, and he helps her climb on the bed. “Bye-bye, Appa. Get well, okay?”

“O-okay,” he agrees, and he kisses Aera’s forehead. “H-have a good day at school, angel.”

Aera nods, and she gets off the bed, before going to Hongjoong. The said male sends Seonghwa a stern look before he and Aera leave.

\--

Hongjoong quickly drops off Aera at her preschool, bids her a good day at school, before calling Seonghwa’s work. He explains to them Seonghwa came down with a cold, can’t go to work today, and probably won’t for the next day, either. Seonghwa’s work thankfully understands, and Hongjoong thanks them, before calling his work. He explains to them he can’t come today nor the next few days because he has to take care of his sick husband, which they thankfully understand. After he’s done calling everyone, Hongjoong is sure Seonghwa’s going to tell the others he’s sick, so he heads back home.

Thankfully, when Hongjoong arrives, Seonghwa is still in their bedroom, so he grabs Seonghwa’s plate, and places it in the fridge. Hongjoong searches up what type of food is good to have whilst having a cold, and chicken soup is the number one result. Hongjoong is sure he knows how to make the soup, and they have the ingredients, too, so he starts making the soup. When he’s done, he carefully takes it upstairs, finding Seonghwa with his hair damp, and his eyes closed. Hongjoong smiles softly and places the bowl on the nightstand.

“Hwa,” he calls out, softly shaking him. “Wake up. You need to eat.”

Seonghwa’s eyes flutter open, and he looks at Hongjoong. “Hmm… W-where’s Aera?”

“She’s at school,” he replies. “How are you feeling?”

“S-sick,” Seonghwa answers, before letting out a sneeze. “C-can you get me the tissue box?”

Hongjoong nods, and he grabs the tissue box from the bathroom, before handing it to Seonghwa. The older thanks him, blowing his nose. Hongjoong then gets the thermometer from the nightstand, and he takes Seonghwa’s temperature. When it’s done, Hongjoong reads ‘102’ as Seonghwa’s temperature.

“You need to go to the doctor,” Hongjoong says, putting the thermometer away.

“W-why?” Seonghwa whines. “I-I don’t want to go.”

“Well, you’re going to,” Hongjoong says sternly. “Your temperature is 104.”

“Y-you’re mean,” Seonghwa pouts.

Hongjoong chuckles. “I know. Now open up.”

“Y-you want to have sex right  _ now _ ?” Seonghwa asks, surprised. “I-I’m up for it.” 

“No, Seonghwa.” Hongjoong immediately pulls Seonghwa back down. “You’re too sick for us to have sex. Now open up, so I can  _ feed you _ .”

“Th-that’s boring,” Seonghwa grumbles, but he still does as he’s told. Hongjoong feeds him the chicken soup until the bowl is empty. Seonghwa is starting to feel sleepy, his eyelids starting to droop.

“Go to sleep, Hwa,” Hongjoong allows, and he presses a soft kiss on Seonghwa’s forehead. “I’ll be right here.”

Seonghwa nods, and it isn’t long before he falls asleep again.

\--

The next time Seonghwa wakes up, his head is still pounding, but not as much as before. He sits up, feeling his head spin, but he doesn’t fall. He looks next to him and starts panicking when he doesn’t see Hongjoong anywhere. But that’s when he hears the door open.

“Daddy, is Appa still asleep?” he can hear Aera question.

“Yes,” Hongjoong replies. “So you gotta be quiet, okay? Appa’s head hurts, too, and you’ll make it hurt more if you scream.”

“I promise I won’t,” Aera says, and Seonghwa lets out a small smile. “C-can I still see Appa, though?”

“Of course, but be quiet, okay?” Hongjoong answers and Seonghwa hears their footsteps climb up the stairs. They soon arrive at Hongjoong’s and Seonghwa’s room, and when Aera sees that Seonghwa’s awake, her eyes light up.

“Appa!” she squeals, running over toward him.

“H-hey, angel,” he greets, accepting Aera into his arms. “H-how did school go?”

“Good!” she responds excitedly, making Seonghwa wince at her loud voice.

“Aera, what did I say about being quiet?” Hongjoong reminds.

“Oops, sorry,” Aera sheepishly apologizes. Her eyes then light up, as she remembers something, and she grabs her backpack. “Look, Appa! My teacher let us draw anything we wanted, and I drew this for you.” Aera then gets out a piece of paper and hands it to Seonghwa, who looks at the paper in slight confusion. But then his expression gets softer when he sees that Aera had drawn Hongjoong, Seonghwa, and her standing in front of their house, holding hands. At the top, Aera had written ‘Get well soon, Appa!’ in a dark pink crayon.

“A-Aera, this is beautiful,” Seonghwa says, looking at her with teary eyes. “Th-thank you.”

Aera smiles proudly. “You’re welcome, Appa.”

“How are you feeling, Hwa?” Hongjoong asks as he leans over to kiss Seonghwa as a greeting.

Seonghwa doesn’t bother to say anything about Hongjoong kissing him, knowing the younger won’t care if he gets sick, too. “A-a bit better, but my head still hurts, and I’m a bit dizzy, too.”

Hongjoong nods, and he places two bags down. “Well, we went to your favorite restaurant and got your food. I also grabbed you some medicine, and made an appointment with the doctor, which is tomorrow.”

Seonghwa smiles, glad he has a husband who cares for him a lot. “Th-thanks, Joong. I-I love you. B-both of you.”

“We love you, too, Hwa,” he returns. “Eat first, so I can give you your medicine.”

“Ooh, Daddy, can  _ I  _ give Appa his medicine?” Aera questions, looking at her dad with puppy eyes.

Hongjoong knows he’s a sucker for those eyes, so he nods. “I don’t see why not, but ask Appa if he’s okay with it.”

“Appa, can I?” Aera turns to Seonghwa.

“O-of course,” he assures. “N-now give me my food. I-I’m starving.”

**Author's Note:**

> title: jackson wang’s “dawn of us”


End file.
